31 January 2018 (5:00 AM  EDT)

World Justice Project (WJP) Releases 2017-2018 WJP Rule of Law Index

WASHINGTON, DC (31 January 2018) – The World Justice Project (WJP) today released the 2017-2018 WJP Rule of Law Index® which measures rule of law adherence in 113 countries worldwide based on more than 110,000 household and 3,000 expert surveys. Featuring primary data, the WJP Rule of Law Index measures countries’ rule of law performance across eight factors: Constraints on Government Powers, Absence of Corruption, Open Government, Fundamental Rights, Order and Security, Regulatory Enforcement, Civil Justice, and Criminal Justice.

Ethiopia’s overall rule of law score places it at 16 out of 18 countries in the Sub-Saharan Africa region* and 10 out of 12 among low income** countries.  Significant trends included a deterioration in Order and Security.

The top three overall performers in the 2017-2018 WJP Rule of Law Index were Denmark (1), Norway (2), and Finland (3); the bottom three were Afghanistan (111), Cambodia (112), and Venezuela (113).

Globally, a majority of countries worldwide saw their scores decline since the publication of the last WJP Rule of Law Index (in October 2016) in the areas of human rights, checks on government powers, and civil and criminal justice.

Regionally, Sub-Saharan Africa’s top performer is Ghana, supplanting South Africa from 2016 and taking 43^rd place globally. Burkina Faso and Kenya saw the biggest improvement in rank among the 18 countries indexed in the region, climbing 9 and 5 spots respectively in the global rankings. Madagascar experienced the biggest decline in rank, dropping eight spots. Overall, the region showed the most improvements in Absence of Corruption, with four countries experiencing upward trends in this factor and none showing downward trends.

The WJP Rule of Law Index® is the world’s leading source for original data on the rule of law. The Index relies on more than 110,000 household and 3,000 expert surveys to measure how the rule of law is experienced and perceived in practical, everyday situations by the general public worldwide. Performance is measured using 44 indicators across eight primary rule of law factors, each of which is scored and ranked globally and against regional and income peers: Constraints on Government Powers, Absence of Corruption, Open Government, Fundamental Rights, Order and Security, Regulatory Enforcement, Civil Justice, and Criminal Justice.

“Effective rule of law is the foundation for communities of equity, opportunity, and peace,” said William H. Neukom, WJP founder and CEO. “No country has achieved a perfect realization of the rule of law. The WJP Rule of Law Index is intended to be a first step in setting benchmarks, informing reforms, stimulating programs, and deepening appreciation and understanding for the foundational importance of the rule of law.”

The complete 2017-2018 report—including country profiles, data visualizations, methodology, and download options—is available on January 31 at: www.worldjusticeproject.org/rule-of-law-index

Countries measured in the Sub-Saharan Africa region: Botswana, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe

**Low income countries: Afghanistan, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Nepal, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Uganda, Zimbabwe

ABOUT THE WORLD JUSTICE PROJECT:

The World Justice Project (WJP) is an independent, multidisciplinary organization working to advance the rule of law worldwide.  Effective rule of law reduces corruption, combats poverty and disease, and protects people from injustices large and small. It is the foundation for communities of equity, opportunity, and peace—underpinning development, accountable government, and respect for fundamental rights. Learn more at: www.worldjusticeproject.org

MEDIA CONTACT:
press@worldjusticeproject.org
(206) 792-7676

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Abdur Rahman Alfa Shaban
African News

Dr. Merera Gudina a leading opposition voice in Ethiopia continues his political engagements across the Oromia regional state.

Thousands turned up to greet Oromo Federalist Congress (OFC) leader over the weekend in the town of Ambo in the state. Exclusive materials shared by the Addis Standard portal showed how people from all over turned up at the Ambo national stadium to catch a glimpse of a political hero.

On his part, Gudina is reported to have thanked the people for pouring out in their numbers to meet him and also for their unwavering support during his incarceration. The largely peaceful event lasted a few minuted the Addis Standard portal added.

Key dates in Gudina’s political ups and downs

• December 1, 2016: Arrested after arriving from European visit
• December 30: Appears in court, denies terrorism links
• Feb 23, 2017: Charged with terrorism
• Later in the year, terrorism charge downgraded to multiple criminal charges
• January 17, 2018: Charges dropped, released from prison. Oromia erupts
• January 25: Meets German and U.S. embassy officials in Addis Ababa
• January 28: Returns to stronghold of Ambo to massive welcome

Addis Gazetta@addisgazetta

#Ethiopia : A hero’s welcome to Dr. Merera in #Ambo

9:47 AM – Jan 28, 2018

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Addis Standard@addisstandard

Exclusive Pictorial: Ambo crowd gives Dr. #MereraGudina a hero’s welcome – http://addisstandard.com/pictorial-ambo-crowd-gives-dr-merera-gudina-heros-welcome/ … The program at Ambo stadium lasted only few minutes, but Dr. Merera used the time to thank the people and the police for peacefully coordinating the massive turnout to welcome him

6:05 AM – Jan 28, 2018

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Beside his party political engagements, Gudina has undertaken significant diplomatic discussions. Late last week, he met with German and United States embassy officials to discuss political developments in the country.

The the over 400 days that he was held on multiple criminal charges, Gudina became the center piece of opposition defiance against the government.

He was also a constant name in diplomatic calls for Addis Ababa to release political prisoners and to open the political space. The European Union Parliament, U.S. lawmakers and rights groups continued to drum the call for his release.

Early this year, the ruling coalition announced a plan to release a certain category of politician prisonsers as a sign of fostering national unity. Of the over 500 detainees whose cases were dropped, Gudina was the center of attraction.

He has since stated publicly that it was in the interest of the government to follow through with promised political reforms. According to him, refusal to heed the call for true national dialogue will slip the country back into state of protests.

The post Ethiopia Oromia leader’s political capital shoots after release from detention appeared first on Satenaw: Ethiopian News|Breaking News: Your right to know!.

By Gonj ze Wadla

As African heads of state convene in Addis Ababa to attend the 30th ordinary session of AU’s summit, their host, the Ethiopian government, is engaged in a violent crackdown of popular protests in the northern part of the country. The latest round of protests erupted after security forces killed dozens of civilians in Woldya, a small town 500 kms north of the capital, while partaking in the annual religious procession of Timket. The cause of the killing is anti-government songs heard during the procession. Angered by the rare expression of public dissent, the security forces shot dead more than 20 civilians. Among the dead are Yosef Eshetu, a 12 year old school boy, and Gebremeskel Getachew, a 35 year old respected business man whose body was riddled with five bullets. The protests have since expanded to nearby towns, contributing to the rise of civilian death toll and destruction of properties belonging to supporters of the ruling Ethiopian Peoples Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF).

The political context

Ethiopia is a country of over 100 million people. It is a culturally and linguistically diverse nation. The incumbent, the EPRDF, came to power in 1991 after deposing the socialist military regime of Mengistu Hailemariam. The EPRDF is credited for building Ethiopia’s economy and instituting a semblance of constitutional democracy. However, the EPRDF is dominated by ethnic Tigreans, which account for less than 5 percent of the Ethiopian population.

EPRDF is accused of building a political economy that unfairly benefits ethnic Tigreans. Tigreans today dominate key political and economic institutions. Connected as they are with powerful military and security figures, party-appointed Tigrean operatives function with little regard to the law of the country, which encourages a culture of corruption and impunity at the highest level.

Moreover, through a series of stifling proclamations and extrajudicial measures, the EPRDF has debilitated the multi-party political space. Today, credible opposition political figures are either dead, in jail, or in exile. The EPRDF government performs consistently poorly in international human rights, democracy and transparency rankings.

It is under these circumstances that the widespread protest movements that rocked the Amhara and Oromia regions have erupted two years ago. Realizing the gravity of the situation, EPRDF’s executive committee recently sat for an extended meeting. Although it is impossible to know the details of the meeting, party leaders gave a press conference following their meeting, promising a series of reforms aimed at expanding the political space, including the release of political prisoners, freeing media institutions from party interference, and reforms aimed at democratizing the army and security establishment. However, the party has since backtracked on its promises, releasing only a negligible proportion of detained political figures and journalists.

Who are the Amhara?

The Amhara are probably the largest ethnic group in the country. Although the last official census put their number to 19 million, their actual number could exceed that figure. The EPRDF government is accused of deliberately suppressing their number to diminish their political and economic influence at the national level. In the 1998 census, the government has officially admitted to failing to account for over 2 million Amharas who inexplicably vanished from the census report. Despite the significant economic and political implication of this ‘error’, no attempt was made to rectify it.

Disagreements about their size aside, Amharas have historically been a dominant political and cultural force in Ethiopia. Occupying the northern half of Ethiopia, as well as the major cities across the country, the Amhara are the progenitors of the Solomonic dynasty that ruled the country for over 600 years, making it one of the oldest continuous dynasties in history.

The Amhara speak the Amharic language, which served as the official language of the Ethiopian state since at least the 11th century during the reign of Emperor Lalibela, who is credited for constructing the famous rock-hewn churches of Lalibela. Amharic has a rich literally tradition that stretches back to medieval times. Praise songs for the powerful Amhara Emperors of the 14th and 15th centuries have survived in written Amharic.

Their central role notwithstanding, the Amhara administered their empire in close collaboration with other ethnic groups of Ethiopia. For instance, during the reigns of Emperor Menelik II and Haile Sellasie I, ethnic Oromos occupied high-level civilian and military positions. Emperor Menelik II defeated the Italians at the momentous Battle of Adwa by mobilizing forces from all corners of Ethiopia. In fact, the Amhara, until very recently, were hesitant to identify themselves along their ethnic line, instead preferring their pan-Ethiopian, nationalist identity. However, the growing ethnicization of the country’s politics has forced them to embrace their ethnic identity and organize their politics around it.

Why are the Amhara protesting?

Although the immediate cause for the latest round of protests is the extrajudicial killing of civilians in Woldya town, the Amhara allege far deeper political and economic grievances. When the EPRDF took power in 1991, it redrew the political map of Ethiopia along ethnic lines, with the resulting polities organized into autonomous regional states. During this process, the EPRDF government chastised the Amhara by giving away their historical territories to other regional states.

For instance, the Wolqaite region, a fertile agricultural region in the north of the country whose inhabitants identify as Amharas, was annexed into Tigray regional state. The Metekel in the west, a vast agricultural and mineral rich territory, suffered the same fate having been incorporated into the newly formed Benishangul regional state.

One of the consistent themes that emerged during the ongoing protests in and around Woldya, as well as the geographically much wider protests of 2016, is the call for the restoration of historic Amhara territories.

Apart from these deeply rooted political grievances, the Amhara, not unlike the other people of Ethiopia, have longstanding democratic demands, including the expansion of the political space, respect for human rights and an end to the unfair political economy that unjustly benefits ethnic Tigreans.

Of particular concern is how the Amhara regional state has been deprived of state and private investments, despite the region’s natural and cultural riches. In a recent study by the World Bank on the spatial distribution of investments in the country, the Amhara regional state came off worse, having the lowest distribution of newly built road networks and access to electricity in urban areas. Government neglect has contributed to the strong sense of disfranchisement that permeates the region.

Addressing the crisis

To address the worsening crisis, the government must begin by withdrawing its army from Woldya and other towns. The ongoing extrajudicial killings must be immediately stopped. Security forces who shot dead unarmed civilians must be brought to justice. The Ethiopian security establishment has been operating above the law for far too long. That era of complete impunity must come to an end, and soldiers and officers implicated in the extrajudicial killings of civilians must face the full force of the law.

After these face saving steps are taken, the government must turn to addressing the substantive demands of the Amhara people, which include the restoration of historic Amhara territories, putting an end to the economic and political marginalization of the Amhara people and dismantling the current political economy that unfairly advantages Tigrean minorities. The political and economic demands of the Amhara people are both peaceful and constitutional. The government must address them in earnest and wholeheartedly. Anything less than a genuine commitment to address the demand of the people will only lead to more instability and violence.

Gonj ze Wadla,

Assistant professor

Ethiopia’s ethnic make-up

• Oromo – 34.4%
• Amhara – 27%
• Somali – 6.2%
• Tigray – 6.1%
• Sidama – 4%
• Gurage – 2.5%
• Others – 19.8%

Source: CIA World Factbook estimates from 2007

The post Why Ethiopia’s Amhara are protesting? appeared first on Satenaw: Ethiopian News|Breaking News: Your right to know!.

January 27, 2018

By Obang Metho

Is the TPLF willing to take the country down with them, thinking they could simply secede from the country as an escape plan and leave the rest with chaos?

Allegedly, the TPLF and some of the people of Tigray are seriously considering seceding from Ethiopia, believing they can no longer safely “lead” the country due to the rising opposition and ethnic-based resentment from large numbers of Ethiopians. They may have been shaken by the recent outburst of destruction of Tigrayan or TPLF government properties in the Amhara region in retribution for the violent killing of at 32 people by federal security forces in the town of Woldia, Kobo and Mersa. The reason? These young people in Woldia were singing anti-government songs. They were among the thousands of believers who had been observing the day of Epiphany, the holiest day of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church when believers come out to identify with the baptism of Jesus Christ. Amongst those who were murdered in Woldia was a 12 years old Yoseph Eshetu Tessema.

TPLF Extreme Sensitivity to Anti-Government Songs Leads to Deadly Over-Reaction and Destructive Retaliation from Others

Anger and outrage quickly resulted in the area in the aftermath of the slaughter of young Amhara, leading to the burning of buildings and property by others in retaliation. As details of their deaths circulated to other areas and regions, hatred and anger has increased; not only against the TPLF, but also generalized to others from that region. This is a very dangerous time and the TPLF know it.

Apparently, it is believed they will be safer if they “retreat” into Greater Tigray— an original long-term plan from the beginning— and let the rest of Ethiopia, in their own words, “fight it out” among themselves. However, the likelihood of such internal fighting continuing on is greatly lessened if they in fact secede, and can instead be interpreted as an attempt to shift the blame to others, despite the fact they remain the major, but not solo, contributor to a potential ethnic-based explosion of violence.

The signs are present that things may get out of hand quickly and if they do, the result could mean more killing, more destruction and even the possibility of a larger-scale massacre or genocide. If the TPLF did not also see the signs, the whole idea of secession would not be on the discussion table right now.

Can an Explosion of Ethnic Violence and the Destabilization of Ethiopia Be Averted?

Recently, Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn gave a list of eight identified problems for which the EPRDF was responsible and promised to take corrective action. This announcement followed an 18-day meeting of the EPRDF. The day after this statement, he announced the EPRDF decision to release all political prisoners; however, by the next day, it was called a mistake in translation. Additionally, despite his prior statement to take corrective action to “fix things,” more than 32 of our young people have been massacred after the popular revolt in Northern Wollo of the Amhara region in the town of Woldia, Kobo Mersa and not only in the Amhara region, but also in Oromia.

What is going on in the upper echelon discussions of the TPLF/EPRDF? The back and forth decision-making appears to be evidence of the deep internal divisions rumored to be going on among the TPLF/EPRDF with the TPLF losing increasing power and control. Increased violence, broken promises, harsh crackdowns and now signs of secession signal the serious volatility of this situation where few can predict what will happen.  How can we help avert a potential crisis of ethnic violence and destruction?  Can the downward descent of the country be reversed?

The Rise of New Principle-Based Leadership

In the midst of this very dangerous scenario, another factor has arisen that is very positive— the emergence of newly strengthened, courageous and morally principled leaders, like Obo Lemma Megerssa, president of Oromiya Regional State, Ato Gedu Andargachew, President of Amhara Regional State and Dr. Abiy Ahmed who have crossed over ethnic divides to facilitate the formation of a new alliance between previously alienated large groups like the Amhara and the Oromo. This is significant and a sign of real hope!

In order to reverse the direction from violence and destruction to dialogue and justice will require leaders who will prioritize the larger interests of the country and of all its people. This is not about ethnic leaders, but instead means empowering servant leaders who will try to find a solution to the problem. We respect the fact that someone like Obo Lemma, Dr. Abiy and Ato Gedu are speaking for the whole, who thinks beyond one ethnic group, political group, region, or religious group, with the genuine goal of caring for the future well being of all Ethiopians. The goal is to prevent chaos, the killing of each other and the destruction of the property and infrastructure of the country while instead seeking dialogue, reconciliation and meaningful corrective changes.

Lemma is from the Oromo ethnic group, but he has spoken for other Ethiopians as well. The following is a translation of remarks given by Obo Lemma Megerssa: “We only have one Ethiopia. We have recorded it for history. It is when we [ourselves] change and work for change that our country changes. So therefore, to change Ethiopia we must change Oromiya. As leaders, we have our shares of duties and responsibilities. In all aspects of the economy, it is necessary and proper to take appropriate and corrective action. Only the truth matters. We must first give precedence to justice and affirm it. We must ensure respect for the rule law. It is not going to be done by godfathers jailing people here and there. Perhaps such things may work once but no more.

The following is a translation of remarks given by Ato Gedu Andargachew, President of Amhara Regional State, at the “Amhara-Oromo Discussion Forum” in Bahr Dar, a city in north-western Ethiopia, on November 4, 2017. “Ethiopians have used our diversity in traditions, ethnicities, religions, history and other things to build a house for ourselves and used our diversity as strength and mark of beauty, and not as sources of antagonistic division. Indeed, our diversity has been the amazingly distinctive feature and pride of our Ethiopiawinet. The strong bond in the mosaic of our Ethiopiawinet is reflected in the diversity of our religions, traditions, languages and cultural practices and common unity and our honored identity. The linkage of our unity over the ages has remained very strong. It is not something that dissipates like vapor [steam] that dissipates in the air. It is not a thing swept by the wind and scattered or easily broken. It is a unity that is deeply rooted. It is a great unity with immeasurable depth and strength. It is a powerful unity that is deeply rooted. Our forefathers who made and preserved our history were not without differences and not without their obstacles and hinderances. Despite their differences they kept our beautiful Ethiopia shedding their blood and sacrificing their bones, protecting her from invasion by the enemy. They chose to stand together not apart because of their differences. That’s how they gained victory together, grew together and delivered the country to us.”

We also need such leaders from Tigray who can speak on behalf of not only Tigrayans, but also for the best interests of all Ethiopians. In fact, we need like-minded leaders from all over our country to help save us from ourselves and any unrestrained emotions and anger. We have at times resisted such leadership, but it is the only kind of leadership that will bring peace, freedom, and well being to this country. The public should be informed about what kind of leaders to support. It does not matter what ethnicity these leaders are, but instead, if they are genuine and care more about leading in the right direction for the well being of all of us rather than someone who has  personal ambition for power or material gain. Let the public come out and call those who have already proven themselves to be good leaders who might step out to do the work and start a dialogue.

We cannot pretend there is no crisis in Ethiopia as the sparks are already being seen in various places. The temperature of hatred is rising daily toward the Tigrayan and the pressure cannot be reduced without moral, strong and principled leadership calling for calm, dialogue and common sense that can restrain the people from taking the matter into their own hands. The need is urgent. It is a matter of time and little time is left.  We especially need these Tigrayan leaders to join with others for a level-headed, inclusive dialogue so that all people can be protected now and in the future.

The relationship between young Amhara, Fano, and young Oromo, Kero, has flourished to the point it is has greatly resolved—thanks to them and Lemma’s, Dr. Abiy’s, Ato Gedu’s  and others’ contributions to that. They seem to have overcome the historical problems between them that the TPLF worked hard to maintain as a defensive tactic against the majority. However, now the common focus is not on the EPRDF as much as it is on the TPLF, who are now viewed as a common enemy; but it is now going beyond that to include all Tigrayans. Ato Meles Zenawi, his ethnic based party, the TPLF, planted the seeds of the ethnic hatred crisis long ago and they are now reaping a harvest of anger, but they are not alone. This crisis is now affecting all of us, including Tigrayans who have not supported them.

There is great expectation on the Tigray to speak out, but they are not.  As one Ethiopian stated on the VOA, “It is difficult for the Tigrayans to criticize the TPLF as they expect to be treated like the Biblical Ark of the Covenant that no one can touch without dying.” Tigrayans are not only facing the anger of the majority, but they also must face a weakening and cornered TPLF. How can we reach out to help them become part of the solution? They are our brothers and sisters and with God’s help, we can find a way to reconcile the past, restore justice and live together in peace.

The only way to do this is by dialogue, not violence, and for the Ethiopian people to think beyond themselves. It will take moral boldness, humility and courage to think beyond caving in to reactive emotions that lead to violence, killing and destruction; and to instead, trust in God’s way out of this dangerous time.

The highest call is a responsibility to think beyond ourselves;  to care about others in the present and future;  to put our lives on the line for the betterment of all and the greater purposes;  to protect the lives of others, to respect  universal rule of law, to correct injustice, to prevent destruction and to help bring a new different future. What does it mean to be human? Short term gratification of angry emotions will bring long term regrets and cycles of violence, vengeance, bloodshed and chronic poverty. We need a different worldview based on truth. The short-sightedness of the past led to a repeat of the past. Let us do it differently this time.

Ethiopia is at a crossroads. Will we find leaders who are virtue-based, moral, mature, who are not personally ambitious for power, who will speak the truth and help us restrain the worst, in order to build the better?  Anything less than that will be a boomerang— bringing us back to the same place.

The Call:

Will each of us stretch out our hands to God to seek wisdom, restraint and God’s best for our country? Will our people of faith pray for the people of Ethiopia to make the right decisions to avert the worst from happening? Will we pray for leaders of God’s choosing to be given wisdom and voice? Will we pray for our enemies? Will we pray for ourselves and all our Ethiopian family that we might become ambassadors of reconciliation and justice in a transformed Ethiopia?

Please spread this message to people beyond your own groups. We will not be complete as the family of Ethiopians until we hear the voices from all, like the: Aari, Agw-Awi, Alaba, Argobba, Bacha, Bench, Bodi, Chara, Dawro, Dime, Dizi, Fedashe, Gamo, Gebato, Gedeo, Goffa, Hadiya, Hamar, Irob, Kambaata, Komo, Konso, Male, Mareqo, Messing, Murle, Nyangatom, Oyda, Qechem, Shita/Upo, Sidamo, Surma, Tembaro, Tsamai, Yem Zeyess and all the eighty plus ethnic groups that make up the people of Ethiopia!

Today is a day of opportunity to make a difference. Will you put humanity before ethnicity or any other differences? Will you reach out to your neighbors and those beyond your own ethnic groups to care about their freedom, rights, respect, well being and future for no one will be free until we all are free? Will you start talking and listening with respect to each other instead of about each other so as to build new relationships that will lead to a new Ethiopia?

May God help us!

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For more information, contact Mr. Obang Metho, Executive Director of the SMNE.

Email: Obang@solidaritymovement.org

The post  WHAT KIND OF LEADERSHIP IS NEEDED IN ETHIOPIA TO AVERT ETHNIC VIOLENCE AT THIS TIME OF CRISIS? appeared first on Satenaw: Ethiopian News|Breaking News: Your right to know!.

ወሎ የኢትዮጵያ ውርስና ቅርስ ማኅበር

Wollo Ethiopian Heritage Society
PO BOX 4301 • Portland • OR 97208 (USA) ፠ PO BOX 918 • Oxon Hill • MD 20750 (USA)
wollo.org; wolloheritage.net
====================================

PRESS RELEASE
February 1, 2018

Wollo Ethiopian Heritage Society (WEHS), a rights-based civic organization, is shocked and saddened by the brutal killings and mass arrests of peaceful demonstrations in several towns in North Wollo during and after the annual Epiphany celebrations. We are at the same time encouraged by the civil disobedience well underway to finally remove the 27- year-old, tyrannical, and supremacist Tigrean People’s “Liberation” Front (TPLF).

The facts in these fast-developing events of the past two weeks are clear enough:

• The recent uprisings emerged in the aftermath of the violent suppression of the peaceful demand by the Muslim community for the government to cease its interference in Islamic affairs, followed by the government-orchestrated attack by the TPLF-led Afar militia on the town of Kobo.
• The Woldia massacre (reportedly 13 killed and 7 injured) and mass arrests (of hundreds of youths, many taken to Tigray) continues to be perpetrated by the Agazi sharpshooters of the ruling party. Sadly, this was done against the advice of the Church and on one of the holiest days in Ethiopia—the Timket Festival (Epiphany).
• Subsequent public demonstrations by the youth in the nearby town of Kobo in support of the defiant youth of Woldia resulted in the killing of 7-13 youths, including a 12-year old boy on his way to the church
• A solidarity demonstration against this egregious abuse of power against peaceful protestors in the nearby town of Mersa escalated the toll with over 20 killed and hundreds of youths, businesspersons, and community elders were all taken to desert camps in the Afar
• The popular uprising has since spread to the nearby towns of Girana, Sirinqa, Meqet, and
• It is also reported that the TPLF is distributing weapons to the Tigrigna-speaking Wolloye in the illegally-annexed districts of Alemata and Korem. This desperation act to incite civil war by implicating all Tigreans in its genocidal and economic crimes against all Ethiopians is being categorically rejected by the people of North Wollo.
• That the entire Dessie-Alemata corridor is in a potentially explosive situation is indicated by the massive mobilization of the security forces in this sub-region of Wollo which contains some 3 million

The bottom line is that Wollo, Gonder, and Gojam have now fallen into a de facto emergency military rule. The civilian population is being subjected to warrantless searches, illegal house-to-house searches, preemptive mass roundups, indiscriminate assassinations, and confiscation of property—all done with impunity by crack troops trained in a diet of ethnic hatred and intolerance for any signs of dissent.

The underlying grievances of the mercilessly oppressed people of Wollo are ones that are widely shared by all regions of Ethiopia. The ruling TPLF regime is irremediably ethnicist, militarist, anti-Ethiopian, and totalitarian. For the past 27 years, the clique has acted as a foreign occupation force by insulting Ethiopian nationalism, especially but not exclusively targeting the Amhara for ethnic cleansing and genocide, meting out gratuitous violence and psychological torture to instill fear as a method of internal colonial rule, and looting public assets to build its proclaimed “home base” of Tigray and to enrich its core supporters.

The people of Wollo needed only a spark or two to engage in wide-ranging civil disobedience against the capture of their church and mosque, business centers, and local administrative institutions by the agents of the much-despised regime. They are also emboldened by similar defiant movements of popular resistance calling for a total systemic and regime change in Gondar, Gojam, Shewa, and large parts of Southern Ethiopia.

This is clearly the beginning of the end of an odious regime. We must brace ourselves for a tragedy preceding the end at least this dictatorship. To their credit, the savvy resisters have targeted the regime’s economic centers, military bases, and extensive networks of local spies. The struggle must, and will be, sustained. However, we should all be deeply worried that the calamity of the past two years may sooner than later turn into a catastrophe with the massive militarization of society.

WEHS, therefore, asks with a great sense of urgency:

• The United Nations Security Council to take up the sordid case of the intensifying massacres and arrests of peaceful demonstrators in every part of Ethiopia. In this

respect, we are encouraged by the unequivocal demand for access to prisons and camps issued by the United Nations Human Rights Council.

• The misguided supporters of the regime to stand on the side of the 100 million Ethiopians to force the TPLF and members of its coalition to transfer power to a legitimate transitional government to avert the slide of Ethiopia into civil war and even state failure. Moreover, the regime should be told immediately to stop deploying Humvees and helicopter gunships (supplied by the U.S.) and sharpshooters (trained by the United Kingdom) against
• Ethiopians at home (especially the civil-society organizations and opposition parties) and in the Diaspora to generously provide financial, diplomatic, publicity and moral support to speed up the demise of an evil
• The satellite group calling itself Amhara National Democratic Movement (ANDM) to purge itself of Anti-Amhara elements, enforce the rule of law by protecting peaceful demonstrators and end the military occupation and kidnapping of the children of Wollo, Gonder, Shewa, and
• The long-suffering residents of the Afar regional state to openly resist the occupation of the state by TPLF forces and join the national struggle for a genuinely democratic
• The Armed and Security Forces to transform themselves from the disturbing image of being praetorian guards of an anti-Ethiopian group into truly national defense forces who take a clear stand to defending the basic rights of citizens and the territorial integrity of
• Notable elders of all faiths to speak out publicly and courageously in defense of the internationally-recognized rights of all Ethiopians, and thereby pave the way for peace and national

On behalf of the families of the victims, we wish to thank all who have expressed their outrage publicly, are undertaking solidarity marches and strikes, and have initiated fundraising campaigns. Please work with us to ensure proper targeting and accountability of the financial support. Thank you!

We stand fully behind the courageous people of Northern Wollo in their darkest hour! The struggle for a united, democratic Ethiopia shall triumph against all the odds!

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The Trumpet

Ethiopia faces a high risk of failure due to continued political and social instability in the country, the Fund for Peace reported in its Fragile States Index Annual Report 2017.

Over the past few years, months, weeks and days, security officers have killed anti-government protesters, resulting in more anti-government protests. The latest point in this vicious cycle occurred on January 20 when Ethiopian security forces shot and killed at least seven protesters. According to news reports, the protesters were celebrating a religious festival. Then they started chanting anti-government slogans and hurling stones at security officers, who responded by firing bullets.

Reports say the weekend clash was followed by a week of more violent clashes, which resulted in the death of at least 20 civilians.

Much of this bloodshed in Ethiopia is based on ethnic differences and territorial disputes between ethnic regions within the nation.

“Limited attention has been given to outbreaks of violence in Ethiopia, as anti-government protests, particularly in the Amhara and Oromia regions, led to a declaration of a [10-month] state of emergency in October 2016,” the Fund for Peace wrote in its report. “The state of emergency was also used as a tool to crack down on political opponents and media.”

Activists say that more than 700 Oromia residents were killed when security officers clashed with people from the Oromo ethnic group during a thanksgiving festival in October 2016. A similar incident happened in October last year when security forces killed about 10 people who were protesting food shortages. In December, military officials reportedly killed 15 protesters in Oromia.

“Ethiopia’s overall Fragile States Index (fsi) score has been incrementally worsening over the past decade, moving from 95.3 in 2007, to a score of 101.1 in [last] year’s 2017 index, with Ethiopia—along with Mexico—being the most-worsened country over [2016],” wrote the Fund for Peace. Foreign Policy wrote on January 11 that “Ethiopia Is Falling Apart.”

In our special report Libya and Ethiopia in Prophecy, Trumpet editor in chief Gerald Flurry writes, “What is the immediate future of Libya and Ethiopia? We must go to the Bible for the answer—you will find it no place else.” These two nations are mentioned together in a prophecy in Daniel 11: “And at the time of the end shall the king of the south push at him: and the king of the north shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass over. … But he [the king of the north] shall have power over the treasures of gold and of silver, … and the Libyans and the Ethiopians shall be at his steps” (verses 40 and 43).

Our free booklet The King of the South proves that the “king of the south” in Daniel’s prophecy is radical Islam led by Iran.

Mr. Flurry continues in Libya and Ethiopia in Prophecy:

Why did God inspire the mentioning of Libya and Ethiopia? Every word in God’s inspired Bible has significance. … This verse states that Libya and Ethiopia are … going to be closely allied with Iran!

So you need to watch Libya and Ethiopia. They are about to fall under the heavy influence or control of Iran, the king of the south. That is why they are subdued in the king of the north victory.

That prophecy is easy to understand. The big question is this: Do you believe your Bible?

Why would Iran be so interested in getting some measure of control over Libya and Ethiopia? To me, the answer is intriguing.

All you need to do is get a good map of the Middle East, with the emphasis on the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea. Then you can see why the king of the south, or radical Islam, is so interested in an alliance with or control over these two countries (as well as Egypt and Tunisia). They are on the two seas that comprise the most important trade route in the world!

Whoever heavily influences or controls Ethiopia will undoubtedly also control the small areas of Eritrea and Djibouti on the Red Sea coastline. These areas only recently became independent of Ethiopia. Also, I believe the Bible view is that these small areas are included as a part of Ethiopia.

Ethiopia is in danger of falling apart—and falling prey to predator nations like Iran. As Mr. Flurry admonishes, watch Ethiopia. To help you with that, we would like offer you our report Libya and Ethiopia in Prophecy. It is available in five different formats, and all of them are free!

/www.thetrumpet.com

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Addis Standard

Bontu Bekele, the daughter of imprisoned opposition leader Bekele Gerba, first secretary general of the opposition Oromo Federalist Congress (OFC), told Addis Standard that her father risks “losing his left eye vision due to lack of access to proper medical treatment.”

A few days ago a picture of Bekele Gerba standing in front of a doctor’s office for retina treatment inside Menelik Hospital here in the capital. According to Bontu, the doctors at the Minilik Hospital told Bekele and his family that the treatment was beyond “their capacity to provide” and referred him to a private hospital where they said specialized doctors were available. Bekele was receiving initial treatments at the Qilinto prison clinic in Kality, the southern outskirt of Addis Abeba where he is currently held awaiting sentencing.

The Qilinto clinic referred Bekele to Minilik hospital, which in tern referred him to a private hospital called Biruh Vision. “The doctors told us Bekele needs specialized doctors to treat his retinal blood vessels which are severely damaged due to a high blood pressure he has been experiencing since his detention, which has not been treated,” Bontu said.

However, prison authorities told Bekele and the family that they “will not allow Bekele to be treated anywhere other than a government hospital”, a distraught Bontu said. “We don’t know what is going to happen, my father’s left eye vision is completely blurred and he is in pain.” As of late, Bekele’s blood pressure has been constantly measuring at 190/110. Medical indicators state the minimum threshold for high blood pressure at 140/90, while anything over 180/110 is considered “hypertensive crisis or an emergency.”

Bekele Gerba started to experience having high blood pressure during his eight years sentence in 2011. He was released in the first week of April 2015 after serving his time which was paroled for good conduct. In his first exclusive interview with Addis Standard, Bekele spoke about the times he began to have high blood pressure.  “During the first two three days soon after I was taken to Ma’ekelawi [prison] I started having severe headache and the nurses told me that my blood pressure was high. I had never had that experience before,” he said.

Background

Bekele Gerba is one of 22 defendants who have been charged with terrorism in May 2016, seven months after they were detained in Nov – Dec. 2015. Since then the court has acquitted five of the 22 defendants, reduced the terrorism charge against Bekele Gerba to criminal charges, and ordered the remaining 16 to defend the terrorism charges brought by the federal prosecutors.

His co-defendants: the 5th and 6th defendants: Abdeta Negasa & Gelana Negera; as well as the 15th to 21st defendants: Yesuf Alemayehu, Hika Teklu, Gemechu Shanqo (aka Dekema), Megersa Asfaw, Lemi Edeto, Abdi Tamirat, and Abdisa Kumesa were released following Hailemariam Desalegn’s promise to   release “some prisoners” . Many have expected  Bekele Gerba among those to be released, however so far no sign of him being released has surfaced; instead he and the remaining defendants including Gurmesa Ayano, another high profile member of the OFC, are awaiting the court’s verdict on February 05.

During their last court appearance the judges at the federal high court 4th criminal bench have sentenced four defendants: Gurmesa Ayano, Dejene Taffa, Addisu Bulala and Bekele Gerba, to six months in prison for “contempt of court” after all of them have fiercely protested the court’s decision to dismiss an earlier court summon issued to bring high level government officials as defense witnesses.

AS

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Tewodros Terfie and his team at the House Resolution 128

ኤች አር 128 በመባል የሚታወቀውና በአሜሪካ ምክር ቤት የወጣው ረቂቅ ሕገ ውሳኔ በምክር ቤቱ ለድምጽ አሰጣጥ እንደሚቀርብ ታወቀ

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BBC

At least five migrants have been shot during a mass brawl between Afghans and Eritreans in the French port city of Calais, local officials say.

A 37-year-old Afghan man is suspected of firing shots at a queue for food handouts. Four Eritreans aged between 16 to 18 are in a critical condition.

Hundreds of migrants have converged on the area in an attempt to cross the Channel to the UK.

A sprawling camp known as the “Jungle” was dismantled near Calais in 2016.

Interior Minister Gérard Collomb said the violence had reached a new level and accused gangs that try to smuggle migrants to the UK of instigating the violence.

This is the worst outbreak of violence between migrants in Calais for months, and the use of firearms is a worrying escalation of the tensions, the BBC’s Hugh Schofield in Paris reports.

How did the violence unfold?

The cause is not yet clear but an initial fight on the city’s southern outskirts broke out on Thursday afternoon, where migrants had been queuing for food handouts.

Around 100 Eritreans and some 30 Afghans were caught up in the violence, which lasted almost two hours after the shots were fired.

The four critically injured were shot in the neck, chest, abdomen and spine, AFP news agency reported.

Image copyrightEPA

A second melee erupted shortly afterwards at an industrial site around 5km (three miles) away, when between 150 and 200 Eritreans armed with iron rods and sticks clashed with about 20 Afghans, the local prefecture said.

Later in the afternoon further violence broke out at a food distribution point in an area of Calais not far from the site of the old “Jungle” camp.

Security forces were sent to the area and there were no reports of incidents during the night.

In total, 22 people were injured, including some with stab wounds, AFP added.

• WATCH: Child refugees hope to leave France for UK

Visiting Calais, Mr Collomb added: “There’s been an escalation of violence that has become unbearable for both the people of Calais and the migrants”.

The government would take control of food distribution, currently done by charities, with those groups working in association with authorities, he said.

Why are the migrants there?

Though the “Jungle” camp was demolished in 2016, hundreds of migrants are still living rough in the nearby woods, hoping to reach the UK. Many are young men.

Local charities put the number of such migrants living in Calais at around 800, while the authorities say there are between 550 and 600.

Mr Collomb urged migrants not to head to Calais if they wanted to try to get to the UK, saying their attempts from there – often trying to hide themselves in lorries – would be unsuccessful.

• What next after the Jungle?

The Calais “Jungle” became the French symbol of the European migrant crisis, and some 7,000 people – most from the Middle East and Africa – were living there before the area was cleared.

Earlier this month, President Emmanuel Macron and UK Prime Minister Theresa May signed a treaty to speed up the processing of migrants in Calais.

Mr Macron has said that France will not allow a new migrant camp to be set up in Calais, and French police have been accused of brutality by some activists.

He is expected to unveil a new migrant policy next month, which will include speeding up the application process for asylum seekers and faster removal of those who fail to be accepted.

Charities and some of the president’s allies have accused the government of taking a hard line on immigration.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The Association for Human Rights in Ethiopia (AHRE) is pleased to announce the launch of its new report, “Ailing Civic Space in an Authoritarian State: The State of Human Rights Defenders and Cost of Dissent in Ethiopia.” This report aims to provide an overview of the situation of human rights in Ethiopia and to examine the increasingly restricted space in which human rights defenders (HRDs) operate, with particular attention to trends that have developed since the adoption of a series of repressive laws in 2009. While the Ethiopian government has made considerable strides in economic development, space for human rights dialogue has gradually disintegrated and many HRDs now face detention, torture, and harassment, while growing numbers now choose life in exile rather than remaining in the country.

After the highly controversial 2005 national elections, the Ethiopian Parliament enacted legislation that dramatically narrowed space for civil society, notably the Charities and Societies Proclamation, Mass Media Proclamation, and the Anti-Terrorism Proclamation. These three laws have been heavily criticised for their restrictive provisions, which limit the work of journalists, HRDs, and civil society organisations through broad language and severe punishments.

Over the past two years, Ethiopia has been rocked by growing protest movements in different parts of the country, notably in the two most populous regions of Oromia and Amhara, and to a lesser extent the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples’ Region (SNNPR). Security officials responded to these mass protests with excessive force, which resulted in the killing of over a thousand people and the arrests of tens of thousands of demonstrators since 2014. These actions triggered timid condemnations from Ethiopia’s key partners and outcry from international human rights bodies. The widespread and deadly demonstrations led the government to declare a State of Emergency in October 2016 that lasted 10 months.

This report aims to document the deterioration of civic space in Ethiopia and the restrictions on HRDs, activists, bloggers, and other media professionals, which can be seen as roots of the current political crisis. This includes actions undertaken to limit the actions of non-governmental organisations, journalists, lawyers, and other professional and non-professional activities that aims to further the cause of human rights. By documenting the deteriorating human rights situation in Ethiopia, it is the intention of AHRE to provide human rights institutions, civil society, and concerned bodies with adequate source material to direct their efforts in addressing the overall conditions of HRDs and work towards rebuilding and strengthening civic space in Ethiopia. The report also features key recommendations to the government of Ethiopia, European Union, African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, United Nations, donors, and allies.

Full report in PDF:AilingCivicSpace_large

Contacts:

Yared Hailemariam – Executive Director
Association for Human Rights in Ethiopia (AHRE)

Phone +32 486 336367
Email: executive@ahrethio.org
https://ahrethio.org/

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A report published in Science Translational Medicine explains how the scientists came to this conclusion after observing stroke recovery in mice that had had their whiskers clipped.

The team revealed that mice were more likely to recover use of a front paw after a stroke if they had their whiskers trimmed.

A rodent’s whiskers are an important sensory organ with a rich nerve supply.

The animal can move its whiskers forwards and backwards to explore stationary objects and can keep them still to explore moving objects, all the while sending sensory information to the brain.

The researchers suggest that clipping a mouse’s whiskers stops the brain from receiving sensory signals, leaving the affected area more “plastic” and able to rewire itself to perform other tasks.

Implications for stroke rehabilitation

A stroke occurs when either a clot or rupture in a blood vessel in the brain blocks the blood supply and stops the affected area from receiving the oxygen and nutrients that it needs to keep cells alive and working.

Most strokes are caused by clots, and these are known as ischemic strokes. A temporary clot that clears itself is known as a transient ischemic attack, which is also referred to as a mini-stroke.

When the affected area of the brain stops receiving the blood that it needs, brain cells die and the corresponding part of the body stops working properly or fails to work at all.

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Often, the approach to rehabilitation therapy that individuals receive following a stroke focuses on helping them to compensate for the disability. The researchers propose that their study points to an alternative approach.

“Our findings,” says senior study author Jin-Moo Lee, a professor of neurology, “suggest that we may be able to stimulate [stroke] recovery by temporarily vacating some brain real estate and making that region of the brain more plastic.”

“One way to do that might be by immobilizing a healthy limb,” he adds.

Every year, around 140,000 people die from stroke in the United States, where it accounts for 1 out of every 20 deaths. The estimated cost of stroke — including medical care, drugs, and missed work days — is around $34 billion per year.

Brain remaps functions to nearby areas

There are more than 6.5 million stroke survivors in the U.S. Thanks to the brain’s plasticity, or ability to adapt, many survivors naturally recover some amount of function. An example is a survivor who cannot move an arm at first but finds that a few days later, they can start to wiggle their fingers.

Research using brain imaging shows that in such cases, the brain has rewired control of the fingers to a “neighbouring undamaged area.”

The extent of recovery is closely linked to how well the brain remaps sensory and control functions from the damaged to the undamaged area.

However, the cost of this plasticity is that the brain is constantly trying to free up “real estate” on which to build the new circuits. One way that unused real estate becomes available is when signaling to and from an area stops — for example, when a limb is amputated.

Prof. Lee and his colleagues wondered whether sensory deprivation might be a way to free up real estate near a stroke-injured area, and if the brain would use this opportunity to remap the disabled functions to that area.

Mice with trimmed whiskers healed quicker

To test this idea, they induced stroke in two groups of mice such that it impaired their ability to control their right forepaw.

Following the stroke, they trimmed off the whiskers of one group of mice and left them intact in the other group. Then, they observed the animals’ recovery and their use of the forepaws.

By week 4 after the stroke, the mice with trimmed whiskers had started to use the right forepaw again, and by week 8, they were using them as well as the left forepaw.

However, the mice with intact whiskers recovered much more slowly; by week 4, they were still not using their right forepaw and had only partly recovered use of it by week 8.

Scans of the mice’s brains showed marked differences in both the stroke-affected and neighboring areas. In the brains of the mice with the trimmed whiskers, the activity associated with forepaw use had moved to the area that is normally associated with use of whiskers.

However, in the mice with intact whiskers, the forepaw activity moved to any of several areas next to the injured site.

The following short video from the Washington University School of Medicine sums up the results in the mice:

Whisker-use activity returned to former area

The team allowed the mice with trimmed whiskers to grow them back after they had recovered full use of their right forepaw.

Scans of the animals’ brains taken 4 weeks later showed that whisker-use activity had returned to its former place in the brain. Also, forepaw control stayed in its new place with the mice continuing to show full use of both paws.

The study did not investigate whether the mice that had had their whiskers trimmed lost some ability to use their whiskers.

But the researchers say that there is evidence that when a brain function moves into another part of the brain, it does not impede the function associated with that area.

Prof. Lee gives the examples of musicians and taxi drivers: in musicians, the part of the brain that controls finger movement is unusually large, as is the part that controls navigation in taxi drivers.

“Developing those skills doesn’t cause musicians and taxi drivers to lose any other abilities. They are probably just using their brains more efficiently,” he explains.

He says that their findings show that it may be possible to improve outcomes following stroke by “enhancing plasticity in targeted regions of the brain.”

Source- medicalnewstoday.com

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by Engidu Woldie
ESAT News (February 2, 2017)

The United States on Wednesday gave a 28 day ultimatum to the Ethiopian regime to announce its consent to allow rapporteurs for the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights investigate human rights violations in the country.

House majority leader Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R) said he communicated to the Ethiopian regime that they need to announce by February 28, 2018 that they will allow rapporteurs appointed by the United Nations to independently investigate the state of human rights in Ethiopia. According to the majority leader, if the regime fails to do so, House Resolution 128, a resolution supporting human rights in Ethiopia, will be put to the floor of the House for vote in March.

“Should the government not announce by Feb. 28 that it will allow the UNHCHR to independently examine the state of human rights in Ethiopia, then we will bring the resolution to the floor during the month of of March. Furthermore, should the government announce it will allow access by the deadline but then not actually follow through and give the UN access, we will bring the resolution to the floor,” McCarthy said in a letter to Ethiopian civic and political groups whom he met on Monday.

“There is no question this resolution has had and continues to have an impact. We are committed to the shared goal that the human rights of every Ethiopian should be respected, honored, and protested,” McCarthy added.

The Ethiopian regime had repeatedly refused demands by the High Commissioner and other rights watchdogs for an independent investigation into the killings of hundreds of anti government protesters since November 2015 when protests began in the Oromo region of Ethiopia. By the regime’s own admission, over 900 people were killed in 2015 through 2017. There has been more deaths of protesters in 2018 and hundreds of others lost their lives in Eastern Ethiopia in a shoot to kill operation by the Special police force of the Somali region. The regime blames ethnic clashes between the Oromo and Somali communities for the deaths.

On Monday, a meeting was held between representatives of Ethiopian civic and political groups with majority leader McCarthy, Rep. Chris Smith and Rep. Mike Coffman that deliberated on ways of moving forward House Resolution 128, a resolution supporting respect for human rights and encouraging inclusive governance in Ethiopia.

Introduced in the House in February 2017 the resolution was scheduled to be on the House floor for a vote on October 2, 2017, but has been indefinitely postponed.

Res. 128, among others, calls for sanctions against Ethiopian officials responsible for committing gross human rights violations. It also called for the regime to allow a United Nations rapporteur to conduct an independent examination of the state of human rights in Ethiopia.

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By Tadias Staff
February 2nd, 2018

New York (TADIAS) — It was 81 years ago this month that the invading Fascist Italian troops went on a killing rampage in Ethiopia that claimed over a million lives including over 30,000 who were murdered in Addis Ababa. In addition many churches and homes were burned. The violent campaign was waged in retaliation for the attempted assassination of Rodolfo Graziani, Benito Mussolini’s top Ethiopia enforcer, by Abrham Deboch and Moges Asgedom.

Ethiopians eventually won the war, but not before the war criminal Graziani left a permanent mark with his wanton brutality now remembered by Ethiopians as the Yekatit 12 massacre.

“The Vatican blessed the Italian invasion as if it were a holy mission,” says the announcement from the Ethiopian Community Mutual Assistance Association (ECMAA), which is co-sponsoring an upcoming event in New York marking the 81st anniversary of Yekatit 12th. “This historically forgotten genocide perpetrated against Ethiopians took place during 1935-41.”

The event is scheduled to be held on February 18th at Adam Clayton Powell Jr. State Office Building in Harlem. ECMAA says the gathering will feature speakers including Professor Getatchew Haile and Dr. Habtamu Tegegne as well as selected Amharic poetry readings.

ECMAA adds that its demanding: “The payment of adequate reparations by the Italian Government to Ethiopia; a Vatican apology to the Ethiopian people for its complicity with Fascist Italy; Restitution of looted Ethiopian properties by the Italian and Vatican Governments; Inclusion in the United Nations records of the Fascist war crimes in Ethiopia; and the dismantlement of the Graziani monument inaugurated at Affile in the presence of a Vatican representative.”

—
If You Go:
The 81st Anniversary of “Yekatit 12th”
February 18, 2018
from 3:00PM-7:00PM
Adam Clayton Powell Jr. State Office Building
163 West 125th Street, 2nd floor
New York, New York 10027
(Near 2,3,A,B,C,D subway lines)
Co-sponsored by: Ethiopian Community Mutual Assistance Association

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ESAT Yehasab Menged by Sisay Agena -February 2 2018

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By GCR Staff

The leaders of Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan this week set a 30-day deadline for finding ways to break the deadlock in talks over Ethiopia’s mega dam on the Nile.

On Monday (29 July) Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and his Sudanese counterpart Omar Hassan al-Bashir met Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn during an African Union summit in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa.

“They instructed their water and energy ministers to draw up in one month a report that thrashes out ways to resolve all outstanding issues regarding the dam,” an Ethiopian official who attended the talks told Reuters.

The leaders also agreed to meet annually and set up a fund for infrastructure such as a railway linking the three countries, the official said.

At the meeting, Hailemariam said the project “was never intended to harm any country but to fulfil vital electricity needs and enhance development cooperation in the region”, according to a report by state-run Ethiopian Broadcasting Corporation.

Egypt’s state news agency reported that the three countries had agreed to finish the initial technical study within one month, citing the foreign minister.

Egypt relies on the Nile for most of its water and fears the $4bn, 6-GW Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) will restrict its flow, while Ethiopia insists it will have no negative impact.

Talks on the scope of impact studies between the three countries broke down in November last year.

More than 60% complete, GERD is central to Ethiopia’s ambitious power exporting plans.

Image: Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, left, and Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn (GCR/Wikimedia Commons)

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AFP

Addis Ababa – Ethiopia has lifted a ban on domestic workers moving overseas after passing a new law to guard against ill-treatment, a government official said on Thursday.

Africa’s second-most populous country instituted the ban five years ago following reports of abuse, and complaints that employment agencies lured Ethiopians into working abroad in illegal and appalling conditions.

Abebe Haile, a director at the labour ministry, said the new law regulates employment agencies that connect jobless Ethiopians with work in foreign countries.

The government has also opened training centres for low-skilled workers heading abroad.

“Taking these preparations into account, this ban has been lifted, so we’re now ready to start the overseas employment services,” Abebe told a press conference.

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Ethiopia is one of the continent’s poorest countries and, according to the International Labour Organisation (ILO), a major source of migrants particularly to the Middle East, where there were around 460 000 Ethiopian workers in 2013 when the ban came into force.

At the time reports of worker abuse were rampant, including a video that emerged online showing an Ethiopian maid in Lebanon being dragged by her hair in public by her employers. She later killed herself in hospital.

While some Ethiopians work legally in the Middle East, others travel without visas despite having to cross through war-torn Yemen and risk a perilous boat trip across the Gulf of Aden.

Last week at least 30 people drowned when a boat carrying Somali and Ethiopian migrants capsized off Yemen’s coast.

Saudi Arabia – a popular destination for Ethiopian migrants – has carried out mass deportations of illegal foreign workers that rights groups have decried for their brutality.

Riyadh last year announced it would begin deporting illegal migrants again and Ethiopia’s foreign ministry told state media that more than 14,000 of its citizens have been repatriated since November.

Abebe said Ethiopia has signed bilateral agreements with Kuwait, Jordan and Qatar to govern the flow of low-skilled workers, and is working on agreements with other nations.

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Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church – Menbere Berhan Kidest Mariam (St. Mary) Cathedral, Toronto, Canada

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Middle East Monitor

A Sudanese official revealed yesterday that intense diplomatic efforts made by Sudan to persuade other countries and international bodies that the US embargo against Khartoum were “unethical” and “illegal” had bore fruit, as diplomatic efforts from other states allowed for sanctions to be lifted.

In a press conference held in Khartoum, State Minister Kamal Ismail hailed the efforts of the Arab League, African Union, Organisation of Islamic Cooperation and many of Arab countries and international bodies who played a role in lifting the sanctions regime.

Ismail mentioned several countries by name, but extended a special thanks to Qatar and Ethiopia, who he said had presented evidence that the economic embargo was illegal. According to the minister, this evidence was accepted by Washington, who took the decision to ease sanctions.

“The embargo was a mistake, illegal and unethical,” the minister said, stressing it that sanctions were against all international conventions and laws.

Ismail noted that many countries had stopped dealing with Sudan due to the sanctions and this exacerbated the effect of the sanctions.

He said that certain countries held long discussions with the US to persuade it that the sanctions were illegal and unethical and these efforts “encircled” the sanctions politically.

Last Friday, outgoing American President Barack Obama announced the end of a 20-year economic embargo on Sudan.

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ADDIS ABABA, Feb. 3 (Xinhua) — Week long protests in Ethiopia’s northern Amhara regional state have left 15 people dead, a press statement from Amhara regional government said on Saturday.

The press statement added that the violence which started in Woldiya city, 507 kms north of Addis Ababa on January 20 during a religious procession spread to neighboring cities of Kobo and Mersa in the following days, leaving 15 dead in total. Thirteen of the dead were civilians while two of the dead were security forces.

The violence in Woldiya city happened as crowds shouting anti-government slogans clashed with security forces, leaving six civilians and one security force dead. The deaths happened during Epiphany celebrations commemorating the baptism of Jesus Christ.

The remaining eight fatalities occurred in the nearby cities of Kobo and Mersa as crowds enraged at deaths in Woldiya clashed with security forces.

The violence also saw dozens of private houses, cars, hotels and private farms set ablaze leaving millions of US dollars’ worth of damage.

Ethiopia’s Amhara regional state plunged into unrest in the second half of 2016 for reasons including a rumored disgruntlement of reallocation of a district to neighboring region.

Many Amharas that make up about 28 percent of Ethiopia’s popul

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Author’s Note: I am postponing Part IV of my regularly scheduled commentary on truth and reconciliation in Ethiopia to respond to Seyoum Mesfin’s call to arms to the people of Tigray.

I find it exceedingly important to record a timely response to Mesfin’s inflammatory, outrageous and alarming battle cry aimed at spreading hysteria and paranoia among the people of Tirgray about a contrived genocidal war against them in the planning by their Ethiopian brothers and sisters.

In his politically calculated message, Mesfin offers the people of Tigray a separate peace and to the rest of Ethiopians a separate war.

I cannot let Mesfin’s veiled message of hate and sickening game of divide-bamboozle-hoodwink-and-rule go unchallenged. I offer this resolute rejoinder.

An offer of a separate peace and reconciliation to the people of Tigray and…

In my commentary last week, I wrote, “TIME IS RUNNING OUT. Time is running out on a peaceful resolution of the country’s crises as the TPLF continues to unleash its killing machines and dogs of war on the people.” I wondered out loud what the TPLF wanted as the clock runs down to GAME OVER. My answer was, “Frankly, I have no idea what the TPLF as an organization wants. If I were a betting man, I would say war.”

Well, it appears I got my answer confirming my suspicion last week in a statement by Tigrean People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) Underboss, Seyoum Mesfin.

Speaking at a TPLF conference, Seyoum exclusively offered the people of Tigray separate peace and reconciliation, and by default, separate war and pacification for the rest of Ethiopians.

Mesfin is an original founder (“O.G.”) of the TPLF, its foreign minister and currently its ambassador to China.

Mesfin claims the people of Tigray are today “facing a glaring danger” that is “extremely, extremely alarming.” He warned, “Unless we are able to run, and run fast and defend (against the danger) before sundown, our survival is doubtful…”

Some may find his message of “extreme, extreme alarm” the same old TPLF political hyperbole.

But I do not. I find it a masked call to arms. I find his message  outrageous, hateful, divisive and vile.

Mesfin’s unmistakable reference to the “glaring danger” the people of  Tigray are facing is the ongoing widespread and massive resistance to its rule throughout Ethiopia. But Mesfin’ cleverly, cunningly and calculatedly conflates opposition and resistance to TPLF thug rule with a presumed and contrived existential threat to the people of Tigray.

Mesfin’s statement implies the TPLF and the people of Tigray are one and the same and their destiny is inextricably intertwined.

His warped logic dictates a number of absurd conclusions: A threat to the TPLF Establishment is a threat to the people of Tigray. Without the TPLF, the people of Tigray will perish in a genocide. The people of Tigray simply cannot coexist with the rest of their Ethiopian brothers and sisters. The TPLF is the only guarantor of the survival of the people of Tigray, their bulwark between survival and genocide. Not supporting the TPLF is the equivalent of signing one’s own death warrant in an imminent ethnic genocide. The people of Tigray have no choice but to support the TPLF lock, stock and barrel (no pun intended).

Mesfin wants to scare-straight the people of Tigray into believing the current uprising throughout Ethiopia represents the final countdown to a showdown before sundown between the people of Tigray and the people of Ethiopia.

The diabolically cunning Mesfin delivers his message of doom and gloom to the people of Tigray wrapped in make-believe humility, contrition, anguish, apprehension and distress. He urges his TPLF comrades to ask forgiveness of the Tigrean people for things they did wrong, failed to do and should have done to regain their trust, confidence and support.

To some who heard Mesfin’s statement and do not understand the “devil’s tongue”, it was a manifest public admission the TPLF leaders are worried sick about losing power in the face of mass protests and growing resistance throughout the country. They perceive Mesfin’s incriminatory statement as an expression of TPLF’s weakness and vulnerability. They congratulate each other with “I told you so’s.”

The TPLF bosses speak with forked tongue, the devil’s tongue. They don’t say what they mean and mean what they  don’t say. One must be careful to read between the lines.

Mesfin was not admitting any weaknesses. He was delivering a calculated and coded message to the people of Tigray. He uses the politics of ethnic hate and fear and smear and propagates lies and damned lies to disguise his message and drum up popular support among the people of Tigray in the hope of clinging to power.

I have always said the “LF” in TPLF stands for Lie Factory.

To conceal his hateful call to arms to the people of Tigray, Mesfin sugarcoats his message with crocodile tears and empty words of contrition and forgiveness.

Mesfin said:

Comrades, the glaring danger we are facing (today) is extremely, extremely alarming. Unless we are able to run, and run fast and defend (against the danger) before sundown, our survival is doubtful… It has been a very long, long time since we betrayed the people (of Tigray) who believed we would bring them peace and justice; they who cried tears of blood as they sacrificed their children (for our cause)… The people we betrayed long ago today feel they are twice dead… They are confused about which direction they should go… Our young people we thought would inherit our legacy have abandoned the main organization (TPLF) and live in a state of confusion…To ask forgiveness is a sign of decency. To ask forgiveness points to astuteness and readiness for work. Therefore, we have to kneel down and ask the forgiveness of the people (of Tigray) we have disappointed. Comrades, we are running out of time. This is not the time to be inattentive.

But what exactly is the “glaring danger of extreme concern” the people of Tigray are “facing” today?

Why must the people of Tigray “run very fast before sundown and prepare a defense”?

From whom are they running away? Who is chasing them and against whom are they supposed to be defending?

Is Mesfin suggesting that Tigreans will be “run out” of the rest of Ethiopia into the sunset simply because they are Tigreans?

I am totally mystified and puzzled by his cryptic message of “glaring danger and extreme, extreme concern”.

Surely the crimes against humanity, the corruption, the stolen elections and flagrant abuses of power committed by the TPLF bosses, cronies, partners in crimes and their opportunistic allies and accomplices cannot be blanket-blamed on the ordinary people of Tigray.

This is not to suggest that the TPLF empire of corruption and crime not networked.

It is an incontrovertible fact that the TPLF Establishment and power and economic elites using an extended network of political and business partnerships have a complete chokehold on the political process, the economy, the bureaucracy and military in Ethiopia.

EFFORT (Endowment Fund For Rehabilitation of Tigray), the multi-billion TPLF racketeering business empire, is ground zero of TPLF corruption.

There is no doubt many individual Tigreans have used their ethnicity as a badge of superiority, privilege and immunity from the law and have long enjoyed the benefits of exclusive first-class citizenship.

There is no doubt the TPLF has facilitated the movement of large numbers of Tigreans into areas outside of  the Tigray region and settled them with rights of first-class citizenship on highly contested lands.

My question is about the ordinary people of Tigray, the 85 percent plus eking out a living scratching the land? Are they also not victimized by the TPLF, which uses their name to legitimize its own corruption and criminality?

When Tigreans are moved around by the TPLF in other regions for apparent economic advantage and are viewed by their compatriots as TPLF militia and occupying forces, are they not victimized?

When the TPLF slices and cuts historically recognized territory and purports to transfer it to Tigray region causing deadly ethnic strife and enmity between Ethiopians who have lived peacefully for generations, does that not victimize the people of Tigray as much as others?

I have no doubts whatsoever that if the people of Tigray were given an opportunity to have a referendum on the TPLF, they would throw out those corrupt criminal rascals faster than you can say TPLF (Hewahat).

But they have never been given that opportunity! When they had one opportunity in 2010, bad things happened as  Seeye Abraha (a founding member of the TPLF and “O.G.”) documented in a 2010 article entitled “Election 2010: A Retrospective” (International Journal of Ethiopia Studies (Vol. V, No. 2, p. 60):

The TPLF had conducted a study on every person in every village suspected of being in any way related to me. There are many veteran TPLF members who had participated in the armed struggle against the Derg but they were pushed out of the party’s fold during the TPLF split because they were suspected of siding with me or others like me. Moreover, there are many families that had sacrificed not one but two or three of their children during the armed struggle and who are now left without anyone to care for them. The tihadisso [renaissance] of Ato Meles marginalized these people and rewarded others who had made very little contribution to the armed struggle. Because all these people are suspected of having a feeling of resentment towards the TPLF leadership, they were placed under close surveillance during the election period. Various strategies were attempted to control them.

The TPLF crucified Seeye Abraha, one of their own, one of their founders and storied rebel commander and defense minister. They railroaded him to prison on so-called corruption charges for six years. When judge Birtukan Midekssa dismissed the corruption charges, the TPLF retaliated against her by dismissing her from the bench and later jailing her twice on bogus treason and other trumped up charges.

In 2014, Abraha Desta, a Mekelle University political science instructor, opposition leader, popular social media commentator and fearless critic of the TPLF was brutally beaten and jailed. His crime was telling the truth and speaking up. He was released after 2 years of imprisonment. That is how the TPLF deals with Tigreans who have the guts to stand up and speak up against its criminal rule.

The fact of the matter is that the ordinary people of Tigray have as much to fear from the TPLF as any other Ethiopians. If they even dare to tell the truth, let alone do overt political acts of protest, they will be treated mercilessly.

The TPLF is an organization of political cannibals, political hyenas.

If the Tigrean people are facing an existential threat as Mesfin suggested, what options do they have?

Only one. Raise arms, run like hell and defend themselves. That is exactly what Mesfin said. “Unless we are able to run, and run fast and defend (against the danger) before sundown, our survival is doubtful.”

Indeed, Mesfin is calling the people of Tigray to arms. “Prepare to wage war! They are coming to get you!”

But it is the TPLF that has reason to run and run fast. But it can never outrun the truth about its crimes against humanity and decades of corruption. It can run but not hide from the long arms of justice.

The logical conclusions derived from Mesfin’s reasoning are: 1) There can be no peace unless the TPLF remains in power.  The only way for the people of  Tigray to avoid the purported genocide looming  over the horizon is for them to close ranks and line up behind the TPLF for the Battle of Armageddon. 3) Only the TPLF can win the Battle of Ethiopian Armageddon and save the people of Tigray.

But why does Mesfin think the very survival of the people of Tigray is in question or that they will be victims of genocide?

The widespread uprising in the country is not against the people of Tigray. It is against TPLF rule, the abuses of power by TPLF political leaders and the empire of corruption the TPLF has created to rip off all Ethiopians. It is an uprising against the TPLF’s diabolically divisive system of ethnic federalism which has corralled Ethiopians into apartheid Bantustan-style ethnic homelands.

For decades, the TPLF has been plying its trade of ethnic politics and hate pitting  Oromos against Amharas, Tigreans against Amharas, Oromos against Somalis and on and on. The TPLF has forced all Ethiopians to drink the poison of ethnic federalism.

Today, the TPLF bosses are doo-doo-ing in their pants because they know the people of Ethiopia have finally found the TPLF’s Kryptonite, the one and only thing that can defeat them: ETHIOPIAWINET.

The ordinary people of Tigray are not responsible for the crimes against humanity and the corruption of the TPLF Establishment, its elites and opportunistic cronies. They have absolutely nothing to be concerned about. Anyone who aims to blame the people of Tigray for the crimes of the TPLF through guilt by ethnic association is not only ignorant but also hateful.

The glaring danger Mesfin’s fears must be the danger of accountability TPLF leaders will face before the bar of justice.

I find Mesfin’s crocodile tears about betraying and abandoning the people of Tigray laughable.

Why is Mesfin pulling at the heartstrings of the Tigrean people and harping on the sacrifices they have made in the lost lives of their children?

Is it not true that hundreds of thousands of Ethiopian youth from all ethnic backgrounds sacrificed their lives fighting the Derg military junta regime and for democracy? Don’t the suffering of their parents matter?

Mesfin complains, “Our young people we thought would inherit our legacy have abandoned the main organization”.

What legacy is Mesfin talking about?

The legacy of hate? Of crimes against humanity? Of murder and torture? Of corruption? Of abuse of power?

The only legacy fitting to Ethiopian youth is Ethiopiawinet, which means LOVE.

Of course, Mesfin is shamelessly and cynically trying to make an emotional appeal to the people of Tigray and drum up political and military support among young Tigreans.

Mesfin is a sick man. He has sickness of the soul. He cavalierly and without compunction proposes to make Tigrean youth cannon fodder for the TPLF’s ambition to cling to power forever. With the same forked tongue, he asks forgiveness of the people of Tigray.

A plan to sacrifice young people so that the TPLF can cling to power can only be hatched in the hearts, minds and souls of evil people whose only reason for existence on the planet is to hate.

Why does Mesfin believe his TPLF has betrayed the Tigrean people?

Of course, the answer is simple. The TPLF has been scamming the Tigrean people for decades. The TPLF has commodified, traded, sold and resold the Tigrean people for decades and used their name to commit crimes against humanity.

Now, Mesfin wonders why the people of Tigray feel betrayed?

I will give credit to Mesfin for his admission of  “betrayal” of the Tigrean people. He said the TPLF has “betrayed them [the people of Tigray] for a very, very long time”.

I say, “Damn right!” Not just betrayed, but also bamboozled, abandoned, deceived, tricked, double-crossed and double-dealed the people of Tigray.

But no more! The TPLF will no longer continue to betray the people of Tigray because the people of Tigray are no longer willing to be betrayed by the TPLF, just like any other group in Ethiopia.

Enough betrayal. Enough hate.  We need an endless of trust and love.

The fruit of betrayal is bitterness and anger. As Maya Angelou said, “Bitterness is like cancer. It eats upon the host. But anger is like fire. It burns it all clean.” Time will tell what the people of Tigray will do with the betrayal they suffered at the hands of the TPLF.

Mesfin says the people of Tigray feel “twice dead” because of TPLF betrayal. Now, Mesfin is preparing to make the people of Tigray “thrice dead” by invoking the specter of a genocide and making them cannon fodder in its quest to cling to power.

Mesfin should stand corrected. I say, “Mesfin speak for your TPLF.”

The people of Tigray feel twice alive because Ethiopiawinet has made them ONE with their other Ethiopian brothers and sisters.

Lemma Megerssa said,

Ethiopians are like sergena teff [staple foodstuff in Ethiopia made whose multi-colored tiny seeds resemble poppy seeds eaten as flatbread called injera] that is gathered together. Milled together. Eaten together. Ethiopiawinet is an addiction. It is in the heart of each and every Ethiopian. It is in the heart of Oromos, Amharas, Tigreans, Gurages, Southern Peoples, Ogadenis, Afaris, Somalis…. If there is a way to open and look at what is in the hearts and minds of Ethiopians, what you will find is Ethiopiawinet.

Lemma Megressa  follows in the footsteps of his great ancestors in his articulation of Ethiopiawinet.

Aba Doyo Wami, the great Ethiopian chieftain and uncle of the renowned Ethiopian General Djagama Kello understood the true meaning of Ethiopiawinet long before Lemma.

During the Italian occupation, certain Italians had prodded some  “Oromo individuals” to persecute and drive out Amharas living in their midst.

These individuals sought the wise counsel of Aba Doyo before putting their plan into action. When they went to talk to him, he said he will counsel them after they “bring him a handful of sergena teff grain”.

When they brought him the sergenga teff, he asked them to separate the itty-bitty teff seeds of different color. They told him that was impossible. He asked them, “Then why do you also ask me to do the impossible.”

He counselled them, “The Amhara and Oromo are totally intermingled through marriage and cultural assimilation”. He told them he is the product of a union of Amhara, Tigre and Oromo, but all his family had Amhara-sounding names. Then he asked them, “Would you have me kill my own family members and the whole of the rest of the population to get rid of the Amhara?”

Therein lies a great lesson for the TPLF.

Ethiopians are a mix of Oromo, Amhara, Tigrean, Gurage, Southern Peoples, Ogadenis,  Afaris, Somalis… They are sergena teff! It is impossible to separate them.

Seyoum Mesfin, Azeb Mesfin, Abay Tsehai, Debretsion, Abay, Arkebe, Abadi… whoever, the whole lot of you! Listen well!

You CANNOT separate us no matter how hard you try! WE ARE ONE.

You can mill us, grind us, abuse us, scatter us, isolate us and oppress us all you want.  You can segregate and kililistanize us. You can separate us by language, region and religion.

But you cannot separate us in our SOUL, because our eternal SOUL is ETHIOPIAWINET!

Ethiopiawinet simply means LOVE.

Ethiopiawinet means brotherhood, equality, liberty and justice for all. Not JUSTUS, the TPLF.

Ethiopiawinet is the only weapon we need to fight and defeat you and your hateful ideology. And we will fight you with the most powerful weapon known to mankind: Nonviolence. Our victory is assured and your defeat is certain.

Why does Mesfin believe the Tigrean people, particularly the youth, are so confused they don’t or know which way to turn? Who has been confusing the people of Tigray for the past 27 years? Who has been leading the people of Tigray on the road to nowhere? The road to perdition.

Is Mesfin unwittingly projecting the TPLF’s own confusion on the people of Tigray?

The TPLF is on the road to perdition. Keep on trucking, TPLF!

The TPLF today is confused and does not know what to do to save its skin from the mass uprisings. The TPLF bosses have been conclaving and having meetings upon conferences. But they have been unable to come to a consensus. In fact, they have been cannibalizing each other as they dismissed each other from political positions and continue to snitch on each other’s crimes.

There is no doubt the TPLF is confused, discombobulated and stumped about what to do next. Killing, jailing and torturing no longer does the job. The people of Ethiopia have lost their fear of the TPLF. Like the American patriots fighting the British colonial masters centuries ago, young Ethiopians are today demanding, “Give me liberty or give me death.” So far, the TPLF has been dealing them death by the thousands.  But for every one Ethiopian patriot the TPLF kills, there will be hundreds more to take his/her place.

That is why Mesfin says, “Comrades, we are running out of time.” That is why he says, “run and run fast”.

The people of Tigray, just like their brothers and sisters, know exactly which way to turn. They don’t need to run. They want to turn at the fork in the road and follow the sign pointing to brotherhood, equality, liberty and justice.

The TPLF can ride into the sunset by itself before sundown as the countdown has already begun. The trash bin of history awaits the TPLF at the end of the sunset. Godspeed!

My advice to the TPLF: “Go on. Take your money and run!”

Why does Mesfin believe young Tigreans have abandoned the TPLF?

The fact that Mesfin admits abandoning and betraying the Tigrean people, particularly Tigrean youth, is proof positive that the TPLF has not had the backs of the ordinary people of Tigray. It is proof that the TPLF has been trading and committing crimes in the names of the people of Tigray.

Yet, when the TPLF sees a real threat to its power, it wants to run and hide in the shadows of the Tigrean people and create a human shield by surrounding itself with Tigrean youth.

So much for the vaunted courage of the TPLF!

The TPLF establishment and elites care about no one but themselves. Now, as they are facing fierce resistance, they want to go back to the people of Tigray with their tails between their legs and humbly prostrate themselves and beg forgiveness and reconciliation. At the eleventh hour before “sundown”, the TPLF wants to indoctrinate Tigrean youth into believing that their Ethiopian brothers and sisters want to destroy them and prepare them for bloodshed.

Mesfin says, “To ask forgiveness is a sign of decency. To ask forgiveness points to astuteness and readiness for work.”

Why did it take the TPLF 27 long years to beg forgiveness of the people of Tigray?

Did they just figure out forgiveness is a virtue of moral and law abiding citizens?

Did they just become smart in a flash and figure out that people who ask forgiveness are duty-bound smart people?

Does it mean the TPLF bosses have been immoral, dishonest, wicked and depraved individuals for not having asked forgiveness for the past 27 years?

Perhaps the TPLF bosses are just too clever by half.

Why does Mesfin believe his TPLF has to ask forgiveness only of the people of Tigray? Are they so different from the rest of Ethiopians that their special forgiveness is required? Do not the rest of Ethiopians deserve to be asked forgiveness?

But what is the purpose of the “forgiveness” Mesfin wants from the people of Tigray? Is it to make amends or to trick the people of Tigray to become cannon fodder once again and ply its trade of crime and corruption in their name?

Obviously, Mesfin and his TPLF want “reconciliation” with the people of Tigray! But do they want real reconciliation?

Of course not. For the TPLF, reconciliation is just a gimmick in their bag of tricks to cling to power. They care as much about reconciling with the people of Tigray as they do with the rest of Ethiopians. TPLF talk of reconciliation and forgiveness is just a mind game, a zero-sum game. They win all the time, everybody loses all the time. Sure they will reconcile with the people of Tigray only to tighten the noose around their necks.

I am puzzled why Mesfin believes reconciliation is possible with the people of Tigray but impossible with the rest of Ethiopians.

What is so bad about asking forgiveness of the Ethiopian people? Does he feel that the TPLF has not “betrayed” the rest of Ethiopians and therefore they do not deserve to be asked forgiveness? Does he believe the TPLF cannot get forgiveness from the Ethiopian people, so why bother to try? Does not history show that the people of Ethiopia are forgiving people and forgiveness and reconciliation are the backbone of their culture, religions and society.

The ultimate question is this: If the TPLF is offering forgiveness and reconciliation to the people of Tigray, what is it offering the rest of the people of Ethiopia?

Is the TPLF putting on the table a separate reconciliation with the people of Tigray and a separate war and pacification with the rest of Ethiopians?

Does Mesfin really believe he could continue to use the old fear and smear, divide and rule tactic to gain the support of the people of Tigray lock, stock and barrel?

Could Mesfin and his TPLF succeed in using ethnic politics as a weapon of mass destruction and distraction causing strife and conflict between Ethiopians living in Tigray and the rest of the country so that they can cling to power one more hour, one more day, one more week, one more year?

The TPLF is still playing the old divide and rule game, this time by dividing, separating and isolating the people of Tigray from their Ethiopian brothers and sisters.

Of course, the TPLF has been busier than a dog scratching fleas creating conflict and contriving an atmosphere of ethnic persecution of Tigreans. The TPLF is inciting retaliatory killings in certain areas and propagandizing that Tigreans being killed and their properties destroyed for no other reason than their ethnicity.

The TPLF is using soccer matches to fan the flames of ethnic conflict among youth causing bitterness and hatred between Tigrean youth and youth from other parts of the country. They are doing everything they can to create division and strife between Oromos and Amharas and among other groups.

None of it is new.

But Mesfin’s message of genocide fear-mongering to scare the people of Tigray must not be looked at in isolation.

Mesfin and his comrades have been sounding the drumbeat of genocidal wars and fear and smear for decades to generate support not only the people of Tigray bust also other groups.

They have been fear mongering Oromos telling them the Amhara boogeymen will return and take their land if the TPLF is not at the helm. They are now fear mongering the people of Tigray by telling them that Oromos and Amharas are ganging up to inflict genocide on them.

Today, Oromos, Amharas and others are teaching and preaching true Ethiopiawinet to all Ethiopians. They are defiantly standing up to the TPLF and singing (must see video) “Oromo kegna (is ours). Ethiopia kegna (ours). Tana kegna (ours)…  We will not be divided by ethnicity, language, religion or religion. We will not be divided. We are ONE.”

Ethiopia kegna because Ethiopia is built on Oromo, Amhara, Tigrean… sweat, blood and tears.

Ethiopia kegna! ETHIOPIAWINET KEGNA!

I say, “Damn right!”

The sweat, blood and tears of Ethiopians is expressed in Ethiopiawinet and today the yellow, green and red flag of Ethiopiawinet stands defiant against a diabolical pentagram in blue.

Mesfin and his comrades have been talking about the prospect of genocide being committed on the Tigrean people for some time as I documented in my September 2016 commentary, “The Truth About T-TPLF  Genocide Lies and Disinformation in Ethiopia”.

Seyoum and his comrade Abay Tsehaye have been announcing  the coming Rwanda-style genocide for some time. They have been crying “The genocide wolf is coming” to drum up support and cling to power.

In 2016, Seyoum Mesfin manifestly equated (forward clip to 6:24) what the Nazis did to the Jews in WW II to what the Oromos and Amharas might do to Tigreans today.

What a sick man!

It is an outrage that Mesfin should equate Ethiopians to Nazis and Tigreans to Jews in the Third Reich?

But that is how the TPLF has been playing its game of ethnic hate politics for the past 27 years.

The late T-TPLF thugmaster Meles Zenawi used to scaremonger that after his TPLF goes, there will be the equivalent of an “Interahamwe-type Hutu militia which massacred Tutsis in Rwanda”. Zenawi repeated his prediction of ethnic bloodbath time and again.

Zenawi’s sidekick and step-and-fetch it, Bereket Simon, went one step further when he predicted, “Strife between different nationalities of Ethiopia might have made the Rwandan genocide look like child’s play.”

T-TPLF general Tsadkan Gebretensaye straight up predicted civil war when the T-TPLF is dumped in the trash bin of history.

T-TPLF underboss Abay Tsehai predicted Ethiopia will be Africa’s 21^st century Rwanda. He said things in Ethiopia are getting out of control and Ethiopia and is careening into becoming the next Rwanda.

Seyoum Mesfin also predicted civil war but believes his T-TPLF will crush all opposition and remain dominant.

Now, he seems to have changed his tune. He is singing, “Run and run fast…”

Only the T-TPLF godfather Sebhat Nega got it right. “When the people become very bitter, they explode.  This is a universal truth.  There are no people who will not rise up when they become bitter. Historically. Now. And in the future.”

The wolf announced by the TPLF has arrived! But it is a paper wolf. It is not armed with sabers, guns and tanks.

The wolf is actually no wolf at all. It is the ordinary young people of Ethiopia in the streets armed with nothing but flags emblazoned with green, yellow and red and singing the song of Ethiopiawinet, “Ethiopia kegna”.

These young people are fighting AK47s, machine guns and helicopter gunships with civil disobedience, nonviolent resistance and noncooperation.

The TPLF should know in shadow stands a real wolf angry and hungry.

It is up to the TPLF to choose and unleash the wolves of war or set free the doves of peace, truth and reconciliation.

Is Mesfin preparing the people of Tigray for secession and establishment of the Republic of Tigray they declared in their Manifesto?

There is still one gnawing question in my mind. Is Mesfin and his TPLF preparing the people of Tigray to defend against an imagined genocidal war or actually preparing them to secede and set up the Republic of Tigray?

The TPLF masters of deception and jugglery will pretend to do something to draw and distract attention while doing something entirely different. They will talk genocide nonsense while secretly planning to implement their original plan of a Tigray Republic.

I am not engaged in cynical speculation when I say Mesfin is communicating a hidden message of secession to the people of Tigray.

The TPLF was established for one, and only one reason: To establish the Republic of Tigray.

The TPLF Manifesto declares “Tigray is an independent sovereign country which was invaded by (Emperor) Atse Menelik and became an Amhara colony. Tigray is a colonial territory of Amhara. Therefore, we must liberate Tigray from Amhara colonialism and create a Tigray republic.” [To read the original handwritten Manifesto, click here]

If the TPLF cannot have the whole of Ethiopia, it wants to have the whole of Tigray.

The TPLF failed to establish a Republic of Tigray the first time around. It will fail the second and thousandth time because the people of Ethiopia are ONE.

Can the planets survive without the sun?

Ethiopia is the sun around which the diverse groups of the Ethiopian people revolve around. If there is no Ethiopia, there is no sun in Ethiopia. It will all be darkness at noon. There will be no “sundown” for criminals to run to and hide.

TPLF: You cannot fool all of the people all of the time!

Abe Lincoln said, “You can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time.”

I say to Mesfin and his TPLF comrades, “You can fool the people of Tigray some of the time, and some Ethiopians all of the time. But you cannot fool all of the people of Ethiopia all of the time.”

It is time for truth and reconciliation for all Ethiopians.

It is time to “beat our swords into plowshares, and our spears into pruning hooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore.”

If Mesfin and his TPLF really care about the people of Tigray, they should be  teaching the gospel of truth, preach the message of love and practice reconciliation and not scare-monger with prophesies of a coming genocidal Armageddon

Peace be unto all Ethiopians!

ETHIOPIA KEGNA!

Ethiopiawinet is love. Love shall conquer all. Ethiopiawinet shall conquer the TPLF!

Professor Alemayehu G. Mariam teaches political science at California State University, San Bernardino. His teaching areas include American constitutional law, civil rights law, judicial process, American and California state governments, and African politics. He has published two volumes on American constitutional law, including American Constitutional Law: Structures and Process (1994) and American Constitutional Law: Civil Liberties and Civil Rights (1998). He is the Senior Editor of the International Journal of Ethiopian Studies, a leading scholarly journal on Ethiopia. For the last several years, Prof. Mariam has written weekly web commentaries on Ethiopian human rights and African issues that are widely read online. He blogged on the Huffington post at  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/alemayehu-g-mariam/ and later on open.salon until that blogsite shut down in March 2015.

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