Katsof said that the message of the Ethiopians still in Ethiopia to the Israeli government is clear: “Bring us home.”

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By Prof. Alemayehu G. Mariam

Battle of the social media troglodytes and the intellectual
In this commentary, I salute and pay tribute to Taye Bogale.
It is hard for me to describe Taye Bogale, whom I have neither met or spoken.
But his name may be telling: Taye (He is seen) and Bogale (burst of brilliance as in lightning).
He is a burst of brilliance on the social media Forces of Darkness
Here is a man whose destiny seems to be shaped by his name.

Taye Bogale is a man with a mission: Search, find, expose, challenge and take down pseudo-intellectuals and frauds, those who parade fairy tales as Ethiopian history, fabricators of falsehoods, empty barrels, political opportunists, self-promoting con-artists with bogus academic acronyms after their names and social media twits, nitwits and dimwits.

To this horde of wretches, Taye Bogale is a the wrath of God.

To those who admire him, he is the quintessential intellectual whose lips drip with torrents of indisputable facts and razor-sharp analysis about Ethiopian history.

He speaks truth, not just to power, but most importantly to those who are power hungry, power thirsty, power brokers, power crazy and brain power challenged.

Taye Bogale recently burst on the Ethiopian intellectual scene like a thunderbolt on a clear summer afternoon.

He has been quietly, out of public view, preaching the virtues of Ethiopiawinet, unity and public accountability for years as a teacher and an occasional government official. He has taught in high schools and colleges. He says his greatest blessing is to be a teacher.

But he was not widely known in the Ethiopian diaspora.

Today, no one, especially social media trolls, can pretend not to know or easily dismiss their indefatigable nemesis Taye Bogale.

He has emerged as a one-man army in the cause of Ethiopian unity, fraternity, liberty, identity, dignity, nationality and authenticity.

His passion for all things Ethiopian is peerless and stunning.

He does not negotiate on Ethiopiawinet.

Not only that, when push comes to shove on Ethiopia, he takes no prisoners.

He does not mince his words but will make mincemeat out of the brokers of hate and coaches of division and strife in and out of Ethiopia.

He is passionate about the honor, dignity and sanctity of Ethiopian identity.

He will confront and give a whipping to anyone who dares to scandalize Ethiopia’s history, demean and divide the Ethiopian people or engage in the trash-talk politics of tribalism, communalism and sectarianism.

He is fearless, gutsy and relentless in his attack against the merchants of hate and death, financiers of ethnic division, vendors of communalism, peddlers of sectarianism, hucksters of opportunism and paid agents of negativity, defeatism and fatalism in and out of Ethiopia.

Taye Bogale talks about Ethiopia, the Ethiopian people, Ethiopian honor, history, tradition and culture with supreme pride, spiritual reverence and absolute delight.

Taye Bogale has become a force of nature on the Ethiopian intellectual landscape.

No merchant of lies has yet dared to challenge him in a battle of ideas or historical analysis.

No trash-talking tribalist has dared to meet and debate him in an open forum.

They all avoid him and show up to play their dirty games of hate and division only when he is not around. Just like the old saying, “When the cat’s away, the mice play.”

But Taye Bogale don’t play. When he is around, the colony of mice know it’s time to scurry and hide in their holes or under a rock.

He is one of a kind.

I hate to admit it, but it is true. He puts all of us to shame.

His intellectual courage in defense of Ethiopiawinet and Ethiopian unity illuminates our shameful intellectual cowardice.

I have often wondered. If America is “home of the brave”, is Ethiopia home of intellectual cowards?

By “us”, I mean to refer to those of us, the effete elite, who strut on conference stages, sit in arm chairs in the public forums and exhibit ourselves as intellectuals, academics, scholars and men and women of knowledge.

We are content to add acronyms after our names and call ourselves “Doctors”, “Professors” and such and pontificate endlessly about what should be done. “Why doesn’t Abiy Ahmed do this or that? Whey doesn’t he take action? Why doesn’t he do something?”

We are ready to issue orders and commands but are self-paralyzed from standing up and taking a stand or taking any action.

In private, we all talk about Ethiopiawinet, Ethiopian unity and the rest of it. But few of us have the courage to stand up in public and proudly defend Ethiopiawinet and Ethiopian unity facing the slings and arrows of those whose life’s mission is to destroy Ethiopia.

I have talked about the AWOL Ethiopian intellectuals in my April 2018 commentary, “Ask What You Can Do for Your Country”.

How many of us so-called intellectuals dare to stand up alone for what we believe in like Taye Bogale?

Sadly, we are victims of our own self-inflicted herd (tribal/ethnic) mentality.

We have traded courage, duty, honor and country for self-interest and safety in numbers.

We tow the line blindly and follow the tribal flock like sheep just because that is what the harebrained elite herders want us to do.

Herd mentality drives us into circling the ethnic/tribal wagons.

We organize our ethnic herd to battle the other ethnic herds.

Taye Bogale does not need acronyms after his name.

Taye Bogale does not follow the herd. He stalks it.

He is a one-man army in the cause of Ethiopian unity, dignity, nationality and identity.

He is the wrath of God on the purveyors hate on social media and the blathering sponsored stooges off social media.

For us “intellectuals”, Ethiopian unity, dignity, etc. are negotiable. They are available to the highest bidder.

I know many “intellectuals” who have sold their souls for a grant of 500 square meters of land to build a house.

I know many “intellectuals” who have sold Ethiopia’s honor, unity and dignity for the privilege of starting a business; and they have licked  the boots of thugs for it.

Not unlike Judas Iscariot, they sold out Mother Ethiopia hoping to live like kings among a nation of paupers.

I know them all. They are my Janus-faced “frenemies”.

I wrote about them in 2010 in my commentary, “Where Have the Ethiopian Intellectuals Gone?”

I knew where they had gone.

I also wrote about them in my July 2019 commentary, “Now is the Time for All Good Ethiopian Men and Women to Come to the Aid of Their Country!”

Ethiopia’s so-called intellectuals by and large were no where to be seen to wage a battle of ideas against thugs in power. They had sold out.

When I battled thugs in the battlefield of ideas with my pen and keyboard every week for 13 years, without missing a single week, they were no where to be seen.

Truth be told, they used to tell me in my face, “You are crying in the wilderness. Nothing you do will make a difference. Only with the power of the gun can you get rid of the thugs in power.”

I told them, “We will get rid of the thugs with the invincible power of civil disobedience and peaceful resistance.”

I knew the pen was mightier than the sword.

In 2012, defending press freedom  against thug repression, I prophesied:

The final struggle between the dictators who wield swords and the journalists who wield pens, pencils and computer keyboards will be decided in a war for the hearts and minds of the Ethiopian people. I have no doubts whatsoever that the outcome of that war is foreordained. In fact, I believe that war has already been won. For as Edward Bulwer-Lytton penned in his verse, in the war between swordholders and penholders, final victory always goes to the penholders.

But today Ethiopia has an intellectual of unrivaled courage, prodigious knowledge of his country’s history and spellbinding oratorical skills.

When the s _ _t hits the fan, we hit the road running.

Taye Bogale stands his ground in the battlefield of ideas and won’t back down.

Ethiopia today is a theater of war, a battlefield of ideas.

Of course, they are those holed up under a rock doing their doggone best to start shooting and unleash a civil war.

They think they can spread their stolen loot to set Ethiopia on fire.

But the era of 27 years of the fire of corruption and criminality in Ethiopia is over.

I prophesied in 2007 the thugs would be swept out and dumped on the trash heap of history by young Ethiopian firefighters. Today, they are all holed up under a rock from whence they came.

We need to tell our young firefighters they are the towers of our power. Let’s uplift their spirits. Let’s assure them they can put out the fire, and we are right there behind them manning the water lines. Sure, it is not going to be easy for the young firefighters. But they must fight the fire, the power. They have choice. They must rescue the fire victims. Let’s reach out to them, talk to them, inspire them and build their confidence. Because in the long run, it is their forest home — their future — that is on fire.

Let us never doubt that our young firefighters, though they may inherit a society devastated by decades of political repression and human rights abuse, will one day be able to build a City Upon a Hill — a just, humane and pious society — where no man or woman will fear his or her government, where government will dutifully respect the rights and liberties of its citizens, where every person can stand tall and freely speak his or her mind, and where no man, woman or child will ever lose life, liberty of property without due process of just laws.

My prophesy has come to pass, and all can stand and witness.

Ethiopia is fast becoming the City Upon the Hill for the African continent.

Ethiopia’s young people have doused out the fire though it flares up here and there. But that is temporary.

Those who fanned the flames over the past 27 years should heed the old saying: “Those who play with fire end up getting burned.”

It is written “Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto God.”

Indeed, Ethiopia stretched her hands and was plucked out of the crucible of thugtatorshp miraculously and cured of the malignant cancer in her soul.

But the Forces of Darkness will never stop trying to pull her back to hell, their eternal resting place.

They will succeed only when hell freezes over and the devil goes ice skating.

No need to preach to the choir of the Prince of Darkness!

Today, the Forces of Evil grovel on social media and yelp on YouTube every day agitating conflict, strife and war.

They accuse PM Abiy Ahmed for not “taking action.”

They are never clear what they mean by that phrase.

“Why doesn’t Abiy take action?” is the refrain of the social media ignoramuses?

What they mean, of course, is why doesn’t he jail, kill, torture and terrorize the people just like they did for 27 years and soak his hands in blood.

These modern-day troglodytes (cave dwellers, under rock crawlers) have no clue that Ethiopia will never return to the killing fields of the last 27 years. This should be clear to anyone being groomed by the washed up thugtators.

Suffice it to day, Taye Bogale is a force of nature on the Ethiopian intellectual landscape.

He is a hurricane on the Ethiopian ethnic landscape.

He is a tornadic force that wipes the floor with the dregs of social media.

When the battle and war of ideas is raging in Ethiopia, Taye Bogale is just one of a handful of individuals who stands in the battlefield and duke it out with the merchants of lies come hell or high water.

My highest respect for a man who says what he means and means what he says.

My highest respect for a man who says you can stand me up at the gates of hell but I won’t back down against anyone who challenges my Ethiopiawinet!

That is exactly how a  PROUD ETHIOPIAN feels and lives!

Taye Bogale is killin’ them with the truth…

Below are snippets of statements taken from Taye’s public speeches and presentations. The translation is my own. Advance apologies my inability to capture Taye’s eloquence in my translation. 

Ethiopia is meshed into my flesh and soul. I came forward into the public space to stand up to the social media activists who are inciting hate, strife and conflict in Ethiopia with the ultimate aim of destroying Ethiopia and our age old way of life. I took a stand because as the saying goes, “All that is needed for the forces of evil to succeed is for enough good men to remain silent.” [I would add Dr. King’s words: “History will have to record that the greatest tragedy of this period of social transition was not the strident clamor of the bad people, but the appalling silence of the good people.]

The one thing that ties us all together is Ethiopiawinet. Nothing can change that because Ethiopiawinet is something that grew in me for ages. Other things may be taken out of my blood but not my Ethiopiawinet.

Ethiopia is at the crossroads. There is struggle between Ethiopiawinet and ethnonationalism. The aim of the ethnonationalists is to destroy Ethiopia. Approximately, 85% of the people, Oromo, Amhara and others, are farmers. They love Ethiopia like I do and they do their work. Out of the 15% leftover, 10 million of them suffer malnutrition. The elites who play politics are a miniscule number.

The way they’re talking, it is like Emperor Menelik II is running for election in 2012 (EC). Why do they attack Menelik? It is a stratagem used to deceive the people. In fact, they have demonized the name of Menelik to internally displace 2 million people and commit hundreds of ethnic killings. Their plan is not only to destroy the country but also destroy families.

Money is behind all of the instability in the country. People who could barely operate their businesses not long ago today are buying all sorts of businesses. Where’s the money coming from? There is effort at the highest levels to destroy Ethiopia. There is a global effort currently underway. Egypt provides a lot of money. Other Middle Eastern countries spend a lot of money for the purpose of destroying Ethiopia.

Let’s talk real history. Menelik is Oromo. His mother is Oromo. His leading generals were Oromos including Ras Gobena Dache.

It is said Menelik cut off women’s breast. If such things did happen, who did the cutting? Gojjam, Gonder and Wello were under the rule of Atse Yohannes. This is incontrovertible history. Nine-tenths of Menelik’s soldiers were composed of Oromos and people from the South. One-tenths came from North Shewa. That happened in 1896. If forgiveness must be asked about the cutting of breasts, it should come from Shewa Oromo, Wellega Oromo, Jimma Oromo and people of the South. People from Gojjam, Gonder, Borena and Guji can stand on the side and watch them exchange forgiveness.

Since we’re talking about chopping off breasts, in our area (Borena), there was an odious practice in which young men preparing for marriage would go out and cut off the testicles of other men. I know people will have suffered such misfortune. Why do we raise the alleged one-time breast cutting atrocity of Menelik while remaining silent about those who have been cutting testicles for ages?

I just don’t understand. Those who write so many bad things about Menelik never bother to write good things about our Geda system? Why is that?

Addis Ababa belongs to all Ethiopians collectively and the residents of Addis Ababa, which has as much population as the country of Israel. It is like a large country. To say that someone should come from outside the city to administer it making Afan Oromo the official language is blatant apartheid. It will not happen.

I don’t have a quarrel with the people of Tigray. That is why I took a big risk and traveled 600 km to Negele Borena to defend an individual of Tigray origin. I went there because I love the people of Tigray.

Many high-rise buildings are owned by individuals who come from Tigray region. These are the people who deposit large sums in the banks. But when a question is asked, it just said the bank is Amhara-owned. Is the Commercial Bank of Ethiopia an Amhara-owned bank? METEC owned that bank for 27 years.

Jawahr is inciting insurrection using the Amharic language. Ezekiel Gabissa said he does not know Atse Menelik. Bekele Gerba who urges his followers not to speak in Amharic published a book in Amharic and sold it. It is a shame for us to communicate in English with the rest of the world why we’re being told not to speak in Amharic with each other. We have given unnecessary importance to such persons.

I will not respond to comments on my social media pages as I used to but delete them. Responding to lowlifes will turn you into a lowlife. I have the commanding moral Heights and will not lower myself to their level.

Ethiopia is a paradox. She is first in the world and receiving refugees. She’s also the first in the world in creating refugees.

Those who do evil fall by their evil deeds. Those who live by the sword, fall by the sword. The only way to administer Ethiopia is through love.

There is no Derg Army. Only an Ethiopian army that protects the country.

The woman who owns the Morning Star Building in Addis Ababa today got it because of me. After she had won the lease in a bid, the federal police stopped her construction claiming they had made a numerical error. Various ministers called me since I was the chairman of the city district. I told them  they will take it away from her and give it to someone else over my dead body. She won it fair and square. Later she offered me a tip for helping her. I told her to give it to the beggars at the church.

The common people feel differently. When the 175th birthday of Menelik was celebrated, I and others attended the event. We were greeted by Shewa Oromo horsemen. When I told them people say Menelik is bad, they told me they don’t want to hear any of it.

The mentality of the Oromo people I know was seen during the crash of the Boeing Max 8 airplane in Bishoftu, not in those who kill and rob banks. When that airplane crashed, the Oromo people cried their eyes out. They did all of the traditional mourning for the dead.

Today, those who promote hate, violence, killing and plunder are held to be heroes. Those who preach peace reconciliation are considered to be enemies.

Woyane used force for 27 years to stay in power. But God plucked them up from power suddenly and dumped them in Mekele without any bloodshed. He incapacitated these fat cats (tuba people). They sold the country’s gold, metals  and the country itself. Suddenly, unexpected people rose from under their feet and swept them off. And they said Oromo’s are simple-minded!

I have stopped working to do research and writing. I have four books planned for publication. I have a 1000-page book ready for publication. We have established an organization called “Love Conquers All.”

Where are all of the “Taye Bogales” of Ethiopia?

In 2010, I asked, “Where Have the Ethiopian Intellectuals Gone?”

In 2019, I ask, “Where are all of the ‘Taye Bogales’ of Ethiopia?”

By singling out Taye Bogale for special tribute, I do not mean to discount the efforts of those who have made their contributions.

There are a few, mostly young, courageous Ethiopians today who are manning the trenches every day on the battlefield of ideas. Everyone knows who they are because we can count them all on the fingers of two hands.

There are a few in the older generation who make an effort to stand up and speak up.

I appreciate them all.

But in my view, none can match the knowledge, passion, audacity, resolve, forensic skills and determination of Taye Bogale.

That is why I am singling out Taye Bogale for a special personal tribute.

I do not doubt there will be some who will moan and groan about my tribute to Taye Bogale.

They will say, I should not endorse him because “He is so divisive. He is a ‘nationalist’. He is not true to ethnic roots. Blah, blah, blah…”

In anticipatory response to those who will yelp on social media, let them be be forewarned of my longstanding policy of mind over matter. I don’t mind and whatever they say does not matter to me.

In more literary form, paraphrasing Shakespeare in Macbeth:

All the social media ignoramuses could strut and fret their hour upon the social media stage
And whatever tale they tell about me or Taye Bogale is a tale told by idiots, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.

Onward and forward, Taye Bogale….

Taye Bogale YouTube videos:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pKNqn–jn7Y&feature=youtu.be

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3fBBqm2DV1s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JV-T-7X–WU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3fBBqm2DV1s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pKNqn–jn7Y

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gr0Kbz2RtMk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8bSqzz9O4f4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RJYPW8Bsthc

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Ethiopian Embassy Meeting with the Chicago Ethiopian Community on Oct 5_2019

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ASOSA, Ethiopia (Reuters) – Construction of a $4-billion dam at the heart of Ethiopia’s bid to become Africa’s biggest power exporter has been delayed five years as engineers had to replace shoddy work by a conglomerate pulled off the job last year, a project official said.

The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, announced in 2011, was designed to generate more than 6,000 megawatts in a region that struggles to produce enough energy, but has proved a lightning rod for tensions in both Ethiopia and Egypt.

“We have removed some of the steelworks on bottom outlets and replaced them with new ones,” Belachew Kassa, the site coordinator and deputy head of the project, told Reuters during a trip to the dam last week. “We also readjusted and repaired some of the steel structure works.”

He added, “The bottom outlets … were initially done by METEC,” referring to Ethiopia’s military-industrial conglomerate that undertook much of the building work but was pulled from the project in August last year after Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed took office that April.

“Our experts found that the bottom outlets were below quality (requirements).”

A bottom outlet is an opening at a low level from a reservoir that is generally used to freely discharge water.

Controversy in Ethiopia has focused on METEC’s involvement in the project to dam the Nile, but Egypt sees the effort as an existential threat, since the river supplies nearly 90% of its fresh water for drinking, farming and industry.

Ethiopia has put the former head of METEC, Kinfe Dagnew, on trial after arresting him on corruption charges in November, along with dozens of employees.

Early this year, Ethiopia handed contracts to fulfil METEC’s work to a group of foreign companies that include Italy’s Salini Impregilo SpA, GE Hydro France, China Gezhouba Group Corp, Voith Hydro Shanghai and China’s Sinohydro Corp[SINOH.UL].

Belachew said it was unclear exactly how much METEC was to blame for delays that have put the project five years behind schedule. Although Abiy blamed METEC for problems last year, he did not say how long a delay they had caused.

The dam was initially supposed to have been finished in 2018, but an initial two turbines are now due to start generating 750 megawatts each in December 2020.

The entire dam is due to be completed by 2022, Ethiopia’s water minister, Seleshi Bekele, said last week.

The hydropower dam on the Nile River is located 500 km (311 miles) northwest of the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa, near the border with Sudan.

Reuters

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By Getachew Zeru Gebrekidan 
Monday, September 30, 2019

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed alongside military commanders. Photo courtesy of the Office of the Prime Minister of Ethiopia via Wikipedia Commons. 

Ethiopia has undergone some crucial political development since the ruling Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) coalition elected a new prime minister. Among other achievements, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed ended a 20-year conflict with neighboring Eritrea, freed thousands of political prisoners, unfettered the media, and appointed women to 50 percent of cabinet positions. In addition to that, Parliament accepted his female nominees for president and head of the Supreme Court.

Electoral system reform could have a huge impact on the next Ethiopian national election, which is scheduled for 2020. For instance, following the reforms made by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, exiled opposition and separatist groups have returned home for peace. As part of such reform, Ethiopia’s House of People’s Representatives (HPR) approved Birtukan Mideksa, a former judge and opposition party leader as the new chairperson to lead the National Electoral Board of Ethiopia (NEBE). In addition to using automated systems, the government has assured that the upcoming general elections will be free, fair, and democratic.

For the last two decades, ethnic intolerance grew and gained momentum, and ethnic violence became a permanent fixture of Ethiopian politics. As a result, ethnic tensions and violence are on the rise. Ethnic conflicts are not new to Ethiopia, but the levels of violence witnessed today are very alarming. If the recent unrest in many parts of the country continues, it will adversely affect the upcoming election. In the past few months, ethnic clashes and protracted violence flared in most regions—Oromia, Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples (SNNPR), Amhara, Tigray, Benishangul-Gumuz, and Somali regions—causing the death of hundreds of civilians and the displacement of some 2.8 million people.

Despite the Ethiopian government establishing two controversial commissions—the Boundaries and Identity Issues Commission and the Reconciliation Commission to deal with identity and boundary related tensions and conflicts—its efforts to address these conflicts are mostly reactive and have not, so far, produced lasting solutions. Some members of the parliament (MPs) aggressively challenged the constitutionality of the establishment of the Boundaries and Identity Issues Commission while some others passionately supported it.

Formerly exiled armed opposition and separatist groups have returned home following the government’s declaration of amnesty, and invitation to participate in peaceful political activities. However, there is no clear agreement or strategy for employing a Disarmament, Demobilization, and Reintegration (DDR) program for former fighters, although there are ongoing negotiations. This could easily fuel violent clashes. Indeed, violent confrontations between these rebel forces and federal and regional government security forces have already been witnessed in parts of the Oromia region. Holding national elections in such an environment could exacerbate the existing tensions. It is also difficult to guarantee security provisions for political parties to campaign in these regions. Moreover, reform measures taken by the new leadership are generating high expectations among youth and could lead to resentment and unrest if left unmet. Youth employment presents a particular challenge for Ethiopia. About 73 percent of the country’s population is less than 29 years of age. Approximately three million youth enter the labor force each year in Ethiopia. The National unemployment rate is 4.5 percent, urban unemployment is 6.5 percent, and rural unemployment is 2.5 percent. Ensuring productive employment opportunities in rural and urban areas has been a challenge, to achieve sustainable peace youth unemployment must be addressed as a top issue. As a result, a growing number of Ethiopian youth look for job opportunities, and without addressing such a pressing issue, a peaceful Ethiopia is unforeseeable.

Despite new leadership at the National Electoral Board of Ethiopia, the electoral commission will undoubtedly require time to transform itself into a truly neutral body capable of conducting credible, fair, and transparent elections. Currently, there are 81 fragmented political parties registered in Ethiopia, including parties that have recently returned from exile. Many of them have overlapping political-ideological orientations, agendas, and programs. However, there is no move for unification or the formation of three to four larger parties that could challenge the ruling party. The oppositions are not only fragmented but also engage in inter-party squabbles. A situation that has been exploited by the ruling party in previous elections.

Ethiopia’s media landscape is dominated by state-owned broadcasters and government-oriented newspapers. However, since Prime Minister Abiy took office in April, the government has eased restrictions on independent media, permitting both greater freedom for journalists and a more diverse range of news for consumers. This is a good opportunity for all political parties to promote their respective programs. The media reforms offer a platform for all political parties to promote their respective programs; however, the difficulty still lies ahead for opposition parties with limited resources.

The lack of cohesion and division in the leadership of the ruling party could potentially undermine the political process and the efficacy of reform in the country. The rift and confrontation grow between the Tigray People’s Liberation Front and the other three ethnically based parties that make up the coalition; this is also a possible challenge for conducting a peaceful and democratic election.

Thus, in addition to addressing violent ethnic clashes, the importance of youth resentment—mainly due to unemployment—the guarantee of an independent media and democratic institutions, including the judiciary, the NEBE, and the security services—cannot be overstated, especially ahead of the scheduled 2020 elections.

Getachew Zeru is an Assistant Professor at the Institute of African Governance and Development at Ethiopian Civil Service University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. He was a former Southern Voices Scholar Network for Peacebuilding in spring 2015. 

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Anualem Arage – Washington DC Public Meeting

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By Toby Luckhurst/ BBC News

An 18th Century Ethiopian crown will finally be returned home after being hidden in a Dutch flat for 21 years.

Ethiopian Sirak Asfaw, who fled to the Netherlands in the late 1970s, discovered the crown in the suitcase of a visitor and realised it was stolen.

The management consultant has protected it until he felt safe to send it back.

“Finally it is the right time to bring back the crown to its owners – and the owners of the crown are all Ethiopians,” he told the BBC.

The crown is thought to be one of just 20 in existence. It has depictions of Jesus Christ, God and the Holy Spirit, as well as Jesus’ disciples, and was likely gifted to a church by the powerful warlord Welde Sellase hundreds of years ago.

It is currently being stored at a high security facility until it can be safely returned.

What’s the story of the crown?

Mr Sirak left his home country in 1978 to escape the political repression of the Communist government, or Derg, which had come to power in 1974. The regime unleashed a wave of violence known as the Red Terror, which killed hundreds of thousands and forced many to leave.

The former refugee used to host Ethiopians who had left the country in his Rotterdam flat throughout the 1980s and 1990s. “Friends, refugees, whoever,” he said. It was one of these visitors staying at his home in 1998 who was carrying the crown in his bag.

“Most people don’t really care about this cultural heritage,” he said. “I’m loyal to Ethiopia.”

Mr Sirak confronted the man and insisted the crown was not leaving unless it could be returned to its home.

Image copyrightAFP/GETTY

After asking for help on internet forums – which yielded no useful answers – he decided the best course of action was to hold onto the crown until he knew it would be safe.

“You end up in such a suffocating situation, not knowing who to tell or what to do, or to hand over,” he said. “And of course afraid that the Dutch government might confiscate it.”

“I had fire alarms all over my house, eight or something like that. Really scared!”

But with the end of the former regime and the election of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed last year, Mr Sirak felt the time was right to have a piece of Ethiopia’s history return to Addis Ababa.

He contacted Arthur Brand, known as the “Indiana Jones of the art world”, for help returning it home.

“I explained to him, look, either the crown will disappear or you [will], if you continue like this,” Mr Brand told the BBC.

“I said if the people who were involved at the time got knowledge of it, the risk was that they would come back and would take the crown from him.”

Image copyrightREUTERS

With the consent of the Dutch police, the art hunter placed the artefact in a secure facility. An expert confirmed it was genuine, and Mr Brand decided the best course of action was to announce it publicly.

“It’s an a amazing piece. It’s very big, I feel pity for the people who had to wear it on their heads because when you wear this for a couple of hours your neck hurts,” he said.

Both men are waiting for the Ethiopian government to get in touch with the Dutch authorities to plan the return of the crown.

“I want this crown to be a symbol of unity and togetherness,” Mr Sirak said. “The crown will be celebrated by all of us Ethiopians, even Africans.”

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by Hamza Hendawi/ N. World

Construction of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam on the Blue Nile is due to be completed next year, likely reducing Egypt’s water flow

Egypt has hardened its rhetoric on Ethiopia’s Nile dam in an apparent attempt to force the East African nation to make concessions to Cairo.

Construction of the Grand Renaissance Dam on the Blue Nile is due to be completed next year, when Ethiopian authorities will begin to fill a large reservoir behind it intended to hold 74 billion cubic metres of water when full.

Egypt, which depends on the Nile for 95 per cent of its water, wants Addis Ababa to stagger the filling of the reservoir over seven years to reduce the effect the dam will have on water ­supplies.

The repercussions of the possible reduction in Egypt’s share are Nile water is almost incalculable. Experts say millions of acres of farmland and hundreds of thousands of jobs could be lost, causing significant damage to an already struggling economy.

Egypt is, however, taking measures to lessen the blow, building water-desalination plants, recycling water used to irrigate farmland and introducing conservation techniques.

Years of negotiations between Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan have failed to reach a breakthrough.

Water ministers from the three nations are scheduled to meet again this week in Khartoum, but there is not much hope that the meeting will produce tangible results. Ethiopia has previously refused to discuss Egypt’s proposal for a timetable for filling the reservoir, arguing that it is an infringement of its sovereignty.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi brought the issue to the world’s attention last week, mentioning it in his address before the United Nations General Assembly.

“While we acknowledge Ethiopia’s right to development, the water of the Nile is a question of life, a matter of existence to Egypt,” he said.

“That, in turn, places a large responsibility on the shoulders of the international community to undertake a constructive role and urge all parties to show flexibility in the pursuit of an agreement that meets with the approval of all parties.”

Mr El Sisi later addressed a meeting in New York with prominent US figures. “The operation of the dam through the imposition of a de facto situation will never happen because we have no other source of water beside the Nile,” he said.

Experts have consistently ruled out military action by Cairo, saying it would be politically costly and could expose Egypt to UN sanctions.

“Egypt’s tone has been hardened and the president started internationalising the issue,” said Abbas Sharaky, a geology and water resources professor who lectures at Cairo University’s African studies college.

“Egypt has the right to defend itself and must emerge from the crisis with an agreement so that this never happens again.”

Egypt acknowledges Ethiopia’s development needs, and maintains it has accepted that the $4 billion (Dh14.6bn) project will have a negative effect on it – but it wants that effect to be minimised.

But, according to Mr Sharaky, Cairo also wants to make sure that Ethiopian blueprints for more upstream dams on the Blue Nile are not implemented without full co-ordination.

The Blue Nile accounts for about 85 per cent of the Nile waters that reach Egypt. The remaining water volume comes from the White Nile, which joins the Blue Nile near Khartoum before they flow together downstream through the deserts of northern Sudan and into Egypt.

To Ethiopia and its government, the Renaissance Dam is vital to the development of the country, a matter of national pride and is now a showpiece that matches its growing influence in a region long defined by wars, internal strife and famine.

With a similar population to Egypt, Ethiopia is keen to rise to the status traditionally enjoyed by Egypt as one of the most developed nations in Africa and, like Sudan, move away from Cairo’s sphere of influence. The dam and the development it is expected to bring, it believes, will enable Addis Ababa do that.

Like several other Nile basin nations, Ethiopia also says that Egypt has taken most of the river’s waters for granted.

Egypt’s language has been reflected in its media, which called Ethiopia’s tactics a “cunning game”. Imad Hussein, editor of Cairo’s independent Al Shorouk daily, recently wrote that Egypt’s tussle with Ethiopia was a “long and complicated battle … that requires the launching of an all-out diplomatic war in which we must put to use our international contacts to convince the world of the justice of our case.”

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October 04, 2019
By: Ewnetu Sime

As we all know, Eskinder Nega is one of the most prominent Ethiopians and advocate of Social Justice. Eskinder has been at the forefront of political activism over the past 27 years. He was jailed by ethino-centric EPDRF regime for being a champion of human rights and a voice for voiceless for fellow all Ethiopians regardless of ethnicity, religion etc. Eskinder received many awards from respected international institutions for his tireless and selfless work. He strongly criticized the current EPDRF leaders who dressed up with full of sweet talk but has not shown tangible solution for ongoing problems in Ethiopia political conflicts. In fact, the Oromo extremists group and their foreign sponsors appears to be running the country to even more problems. The current regime has shown extreme patience as extremist take the streets , publicly spread hatred messages, and political bandits robbed several Banks in broad day light. Millions of people has been displaced and killed throughout the country by their hateful propaganda.

Concerned Ethiopians wrote letters to current Prime Minster and issued Press release with several recommendations to help address the political crisis that is threatening the very existence of Ethiopia. The response so far is unsatisfactory. By account of most people , the government occupied itself by none priority tasks. In the meanwhile, the extremists and their foreign sponsors are busy in encouraging ethnic disputes which might escalate to civil war and possible genocide as seen in Rwanda.

Eskinder and his thousands of followers are organized under civic organization called Balderas Council to stop extremists actions in peaceful manner. His organization is none-ethnic. Eskinder has demonstrated dedication, bravery and ready to pay the ultimate sacrifice for sake of protecting human rights for Ethiopians.
Ethiopia current prime minister has been preaching for a year to correct misrule of the past TPLF’S dictatorship and to establish democratic governance. The preaching ended up to be empty. Sadly, he has not put the interest of Ethiopia ahead of his own OPDO party and millions get internally displaced and knocked down to live in abject poverty. Like many, I am angry with his sweet rhetoric as his security agents and police force arrested peaceful opponents. The Oromo extremist groups are attempting to replicate the past 27-years of TPLF’s rule marred with corruption, human right violations and ethnic discrimination.
It is time for all Ethiopians and friends of Ethiopia to stand behind Eskinder’s organization. Addis Ababa faces the greatest danger in its history by the extremists group. Addis Ababa is a cosmopolitan multinational and multicultural city. It is time who care for our beloved mother land to support the grassroots resistance led by Balderas Council from pushing the country into going deep civil strife . We shall be part of the upcoming pro -democracy protest on October 2, 2012 Ethiopian calendar organized by Balderas Council.
Ethiopia will prevail! The powerful would be vanquished!

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‘The absence of credible evidence points to the fact that there is nothing to investigate’ – Seif Magango

Case is part of recent surge in arrests based on draconian anti-terrorism laws

Amnesty International has called for the immediate and unconditional release of five Ethiopian journalists being held on charges of “incitement to terrorism”.

The five journalists – Bikila Amenu, Abdisa Gutata, Firomsa Bekele, Gadaa Bulti and Adugna Keso – were arrested on 5 September in the Gerji neighbourhood of the capital and were arraigned in court yesterday for a pre-trial hearing. Police have failed to produce any evidence for their alleged crimes.

The journalists have been reporting on human rights violations and political developments in Ethiopia since 2011. They were a key source of information on the sustained protests that erupted in the Oromia region in 2015, which ultimately resulted in a change of leadership in the country.

Seif Magango, Amnesty International’s East Africa Deputy Director, said:

“The absence of credible evidence points to the fact that there is nothing to investigate.

“The Ethiopian authorities must immediately and unconditionally release these journalists and let them get on with their lives.

“The use of Ethiopia’s anti-terrorism proclamation to arbitrarily arrest journalists is completely out of step with reforms witnessed in the country.

“This law must be revised to align with international standards and must no longer be used to harass journalists.”

Anti-Terrorism Proclamation

Since June this year, there has been a surge in the number of arrests in Ethiopia based on the country’s Anti-Terrorism Proclamation.

The proclamation, from 2009, includes an overly broad and vague definition of terrorist acts and a definition of “encouragement of terrorism” that makes the publication of statements “likely to be understood as encouraging terrorist acts” punishable by ten to 20 years in prison.

https://www.amnesty.org.uk

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By  Damo Gotamo

Diplomacy is an art. People who engage in the old profession are required to have a range of abilities, including negotiation, communication, and conflict resolution skills. The way a diplomat conducts himself when representing his country abroad is critical to the success of his mission. Many countries select their diplomats carefully and provide rigorous training regimes before they send them to overseas posts. It is both an honor and a privilege to serve one’s country as a diplomat. However, under the TPLF (Tigray People’s Liberation Front) regime, the country’s diplomatic missions were used to advance the interest of the TPLF and its members, and the professionals who practiced the trade were harassed, abused, and their diplomatic careers cut short.

Ethiopia’s diplomatic mission during the 27 years of the TPLF authoritarian rule was used to advance the interest of the TPLF and its members. The gun-wielding ragtag group that controlled the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA), misused the foreign service of the country, which was  supposedly be serving the interest of the Ethiopian people. The diplomatic sector, which had been represented by dignified and skilled people like Ras Imuru Haile Selasie, Yilma Deresa, Bitwoded Zewede Gebrhiwot, and Mikael Imuru, was overrun by illiterate thugs who spent half of their lives in Dedebit pit. We witnessed one embarrassing spectacle after another in the countries missions abroad by the TPLF agents masquerading as diplomats.

In the TPLF Ethiopia, the country’s embassies became private clubs to the creme de la creme of the TPLF and their hand-picked minions. Instead of serving the interest of the country and its citizens abroad, the missions served the TPLF members and their families. While citizens who required services from embassies that operated under their name were prevented from entering their embassies’ compounds, the members of the TPLF were free to enter them any time. The TPLF members often gathered at the embassies to conduct secret meetings targeting Ethiopians who opposed the criminal regime. Many offices of the missions were used as night clubs and places where relatives of the TPLF members celebrated the birth date of the TPLF and their families. In many of the missions, the former TPLF fighters served as security guards, allowing only the members of the TPLF to enter into the buildings. People who went to   Ethiopian embassies on business told me they felt they were inside the TPLF’s headquarter in Mekele!

Under the TPLF of Ethiopia, assignment to foreign missions was largely political rather than merit. Most of the people who were posted abroad as emissaries were either the members of the TPLF or the lickspittles of the TPLF honchos. The TPLF cadres who barely finished third grade education, let alone understood the art of diplomacy, were assigned in many embassies. Career diplomats who were appointed to cover up for the deficiencies of the TPLF cadres were constantly harassed and abused by TPLF agents.

The MOFA and Ethiopian embassies under the TPLF regime were not convenient places for the country’s diplomats to practice their profession. Diplomats were frequently subjected to harassment, and their activities were strictly monitored by the TPLF spies. Even ambassadors with the plenipotentiary powers were not at liberty to carry out their duties with freedom. Every activity, including the off-duty conduct of a diplomat, was closely monitored by the TPLF moles and reported to the head office. For example, ten years ago, two diplomats who worked at the Ethiopian mission in New York were prevented from entering the building by a TPLF agent. The agent alleged the diplomats of participating at an opposition rally in the District of Columbia a day before. Diplomats who opposed the TPLF’s way of doing things were, most often, shown the doors and advised not to return to work the next day. The careers of many diplomats were ruined by the TPLF ignoramuses and the country’s resources to train them wasted. Ethiopia missed out on the services of its skilled diplomats, who would have immensely contributed to the development of the country.

According to the former diplomats whom I spoke, working at the Ethiopian embassies felt like working in a war zone. Conflicts frequently broke out between the career diplomats and the TPLF informants. Trust was in short supply. The infamous Ande Lamest, the TPLF crooks brought from Dedebit and foisted on Ethiopians, was effectively exercised in the country’s missions. In some embassies, the TPLF moles installed listening devices to monitor the activities of the diplomats they mistrusted.

Ethiopian’s diplomatic missions became the ‘graveyards’ to the country’s diplomats. Unable to carry out their duties, hundreds of career diplomats who were posted in Asmera, Kampala, Egypt, Amsterdam, London, Washington DC, New York and other locations had left their posts. Many fled to a third country, and a few remained in the host countries to seek political asylum. It isn’t difficult to comprehend how difficult for the Ethiopian diplomats and their families to start life from scratch after their careers were cut short by the criminals who had controlled the country.

Things at the MF and Ethiopian missions were relatively better in the first three years of the TPLF reign. During the first three years, the TPLF leaders didn’t show any clue that they would make the MF and the embassies their exclusive clubs. Although many Tegadalyes were posted as ambassadors, important diplomatic activities were covered by professionals who were recruited based on their academic qualifications. However, things started to change, after the Coalition for Unity and Democratic Party (Kinijit) thumped the TPLF in the 2005 National Elections.

After rigging the election and taking the result from the winning party through the barrel of the gun, the TPLF goons started filling overseas diplomatic missions exclusively with their members. Patronage appointments became the norm. People who had no clue about foreign relations and diplomacy were brought from the far corners of Tigraye province and posted in Ethiopian missions abroad. Most of the appointees didn’t have formal educational credentials, let alone, training in foreign policy and diplomacy. Even worse, most of the appointees didn’t serve at the head office for a day. The only time they entered the building of the MF was to receive their diplomatic passports.

Employees at the MF used to call the practice of assigning people to overseas missions who didn’t serve at the MF and qualify to serve as diplomats as ‘Ayer ba ayer medeba.’The shameless Woyane leaders sent many of their agents and family members as diplomats and local employees through ‘Ayer ba ayer.’ It was impossible to verify the relationships of the TPLF informants and the people they took with them to overseas posts as their relatives.

It was because of the incompetent TPLF former fighters that overrun the Ethiopian embassies overseas that many embarrassing and unpleasant incidents occurred over the years that tarnished the image of the country. Among the embarrassing incidents that involved the TPLF’s diplomats, I will mention a few that attracted the attention of many people.

In 2014, a former TPLF fighter who was assigned ‘Ayer ba ayer’ to the Ethiopian Embassy in Washington, DC, as a security chief, fired several shots at the Ethiopians who were peacefully protesting against the TPLF crimes in Ethiopia. Apparently, the Tegadalay took the embassy’s building for a Woyane bunker in Dedebit and the protesting Ethiopians as the Derge soldiers. Solomon Tadese Gebre Silasse was a close relative of the former foreign minister of Ethiopia, Seyoum Mesfin. He was posted at the embassy as a favor for his service as the TPLF fighter. Solomon had nothing to show about his qualifications that would have enabled him to represent the country as a diplomat. He was a thug who shouldn’t have left the Dedebit pit in the first place.

Another embarrassing incident involving a TPLF mole masquerading as a diplomat took place in Ankara, Turkey. In December 2017, an inebriated former TPLF fighter threatened to ‘start a war’ between Ethiopia and Turkey unless he was let go. Tesfakiros Hailu Gebremariam was involved in two car accidents and had made a threat against the police officers who tried to arrest him. There were many TPLF fighters like Solomon and Tesfakiros who were assigned in Ethiopian missions abroad to spy on career diplomats and end up damaging the image of the country.

Diplomats who disagreed with the TPLF way of doing things at the MF and embassies were called by different terms to demonize and intimidate them. For example, Amharas were called ‘Neftegas ’ if they tried promoting ideas that were different from the TPLF. The Oromos were tagged as OLFites and narrow nationalities. Others were given different terms and attacked by the TPLF moles stationed at the MF and embassies overseas.

Employees at the MOFA who were considered to have different political views with the TPLF would never be allowed to serve in the country’s foreign missions and only be permitted to stay at the ministry at the discretion of the TPLF bosses. Many intelligent diplomats saw their careers and lives cut short by the TPLF operatives at the MOFA. It takes many pages to list the names of all the victims and describe their trouble at the hands of the TPLF. I would mention, here, a case many former and current diplomats at the ministry are familiar with.

Amare Lebese, an outstanding student of Political Science and International Relations, a graduate of Addis Ababa University from the class of 1985/86, was a prominent victim of the TPLF crimes at the MOFA. Amare, originally from Gojam, was never called up to serve his country in overseas missions because he was considered a ‘Neftgas’ sympathizer. The TPLF goons wanted to use his skills and kept him at the head office until he passed away. He was a classmate of professors Merara Gudina and Kasshun Berhanu. Amare was a top student from his class and had the same grade points as the two professors. He was an intelligent young man who would have been a great asset to the country’s diplomatic mission.

Opposing the TPLF policies and its practices while working at embassies abroad would entail catastrophic consequences on a diplomat. Nothing epitomized the TPLF’s abuse of its diplomats and how its agents go to great lengths to hurt Ethiopians who opposed them as the drama that unfolded at the Ethiopian consulate in California two years ago.

The TPLF head of mission at the California consulate, Berhane Kidanmeria, who had never served at the MOFA tipped off the Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) of the United States about an alleged visa fraud involving one of the diplomats at the consulate. The case involved ambassador Dr Desta Woledyahnes Delkasso, who had been serving as the Minister for Political Affairs, Economic and Business Diplomacy at the consulate since 2016. Who is Desta and why did the TPLF agents scrambled to slander her reputation and hurt her after serving her country for several decades?

Ambassador Desta has carried out her responsibilities with due diligence and the utmost care in every sector she has been called up to serve. Before she became a diplomat, she had worked as a gynecologist at the Zewditu Hospital for several years. Then, she became the head of HIV in Ethiopia before she was kicked out of her position by Tedros Adhanom. The former TPLF Health Minister sensed that Desta would blow-the-whistle about the miss management of foreign aid by the TPLF members at the Ministry of Health.

When it was time to look for another challenge, ambassador Desta took several training courses in foreign policy and diplomacy and availed herself to serve her country. She joined the MF and served in different capacities, including as head of a department before she was appointed as an ambassador to South Africa.

As an ambassador to South Africa, Desta carried out her duties with great care. She went above and beyond the call of duty to serve her country and the Ethiopian diaspora in South Africa. Several people who returned from South Africa told me Desta frequently visited prisons in Johannesburg, Cap-town, and Pretoria where Ethiopians and Eritreans were incarcerated. She helped to secure their release and gave consul to those who remained behind bars.

I don’t know ambassador Desta personally. But, I spoke to several people who had known her professionally in preparing to write this piece. They told me ambassador Desta wasn’t the kind of person who would silently watch when she sensed something nefarious. She spoke her mind and called a spade a spade. They suspect, they told me, something sinister was taking place behind the embassy walls which involved the TPLF moles. The TPLF agents at the consulate must have known that Desta knew what was going on and they felt threatened and decided to attack her.

I also share the accounts of Dest’s former colleagues about their suspicions. Based on the TPLF’s modus operandi, something wicked was taking place at the consulate involving the big TPLF officials in Addis Ababa that forced its agent to take a preemptive attack against Desta. Because of her strong personality, Desta must have been at loggerheads with the head of the mission at the embassy. The TPLF agent, Berhane Kidanemariam, instead of resolving whatever differences transpired at the embassy, chose to be a snitch and contacted the Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) to inform about the visa status of ambassador’s families. Had Desta been a Woayne we wouldn’t have heard all the commotion the TPLF members and their vassals staged.

Serving one’s country in foreign missions entails esprit de corpus among the members of the diplomatic core. When disagreements and differences arise, they should be resolved peacefully and diplomatically. However, the TPLF agent who had neither the diplomatic skills nor the culture of teamwork chose to throw one of the members of his mission under the bus. Rather than being exposed for the scam that was taking place at the embassy, the TPLF agent chose to make the woman a sacrificial lamb. What the TPLF mole did at Ethiopian consulate in California to destroy the life of a fellow Ethiopian who was serving her country was criminal. What is embarrassing and wrong was as if he had done something extraordinary, Berhane Kidanmeria was moved to Washington DC to serve in the country’s embassy.

Taking dependent relatives with them to overseas missions isn’t new to the Ethiopian diplomats. Many had taken their families and dependents. The TPLF Tegadalyes took their relatives, including their, cousins, concubines, and distant relatives when they were undeservedly posted overseas. Whenever the TPLF officials visited Europe and the US, they often took their relatives with them. How have many of the relatives of the former TPLF fighters who have been congesting the streets of big cities in the western countries got there? Whose relatives are attending schools and owning businesses in the United States and Europe?

Desta took with her a couple of sick relatives who were dependent on her. Why the TPLF goons everywhere made a big fuss about it and didn’t utter a word when Seyoum Mesfin was encouraging the TPLF members to request for political asylums in the west , who travelled using diplomatic visas? I strongly believe Desta was undeservedly prosecuted and didn’t receive support from her own government when she was attacked by the TPLF crooks.

What really perplexed many people was the alleged charge that ambassador Desta was trying to bring 20 people to the United States from Ethiopia. I have looked everywhere and couldn’t find any information about ambassador Desta opening an employment agency in the United States. How the MF would have allowed a letter to leave its building requesting a visa for a single diplomat to take additional twenty people to the United States? Still, how could the embassy of the United States would have approved the request? The TPLF agents through aiga forum and other websites they owned had spread their lies, and sadly many people fell victim to their scam.

The TPLF dominated MF foreign was riddled with corruption and nepotism. Corruption was worse under Seyoum Mesfin, a TPLF henchman, who run the MF affairs over twenty years as if it was his private corporation. To get a foreign assignment, for example, some diplomats had to promise their first three months of salary to pay to the people who were directly responsible for foreign assignments. Furthermore, some diplomats who were already serving abroad and whose diplomatic mission was about to end had to pay bribes if they wanted to extend their stay by a year or two.

When Seyoum Mesfin was in charge, he did everything he wanted. He sent hundreds of his relatives and the relatives of TPLF officials to foreign diplomatic posts as local employees. It was a long practice of the MF to send drivers, cooks, guards, and others to foreign missions as local employees. Mesfin also allowed his wife and the wives of other TPLF officials to seat with diplomats to take foreign language courses at the MF as if the ministry was a tuition-free language school open to anyone.

In conclusion, Ethiopian’s diplomatic mission and its diplomats under the TPLF regime were subjected to unprecedented mismanagement and abuse. The country’s embassies were used as business centers, night clubs, political venues for the TPLF members and their lackeys. At the MOFA and Ethiopian embassies, career diplomats were abused and framed for the crimes they didn’t commit. The cases involving Amare Lebese and Desta Delkasso mentioned above were just the tips of the iceberg with many of the crimes of the TPLF agents at the MF and embassies going unreported. Amare was a young man with a bright future, and his career was cut short by Seyoum Mesfin. Ambassador Desta, who served her country tirelessly for decades, was a victim of the TPLF scam.

The government of Abiy should clean the MOFA and the country’s missions abroad from the TPLF agents. They shouldn’t be allowed to drag the country and its diplomats. There are still many TPLF operatives in overseas missions who are engaged in spying and sabotaging the change undergoing in the country. Making the working environment conducive for the country’s diplomats should be one of the priorities of the government. Given the opportunity, there are many former diplomats who are willing to serve their country. Instead of relying on cadres, allowing trained professionals to serve at the head offices and missions abroad will help the country achieve its foreign policy objectives.

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The White House Press Secretary

The United States supports Egypt, Ethiopia, and Sudan’s ongoing negotiations to reach a cooperative, sustainable, and mutually beneficial agreement on filling and operating the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam.  All Nile Valley countries have a right to economic development and prosperity.  The Administration calls on all sides to put forth good faith efforts to reach an agreement that preserves those rights, while simultaneously respecting each other’s Nile water equities.

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By Belayneh Abate

The Polish philosopher, Leskzek Kolakowski, once said, “in politics, being deceived is no excuse.”* Kolakowski died in 2009, but his teachings about excuses are evergreen and describes the current gullible Ethiopian Elites, especially the credulous Amara intellectuals.

A year ago, the credulous Amara elites beat the drums behind the serpent Abiy Ahemed  forgetting what this serpent and his devil masters did to the Amaras in the Garden of Aden for three decades. The gullible Amara elites forgot that Abiy Ahmed’s criminal party, the Ethiopian Peoples Democratic Front (EPRDF), was established to franchise republics of nations and nationalities on the graves of Amaras.

The credulous Amara elites blamed only the Tigre Peoples Libration Front (TPLF), not the long-time slaves such as Abiy Ahmed, for the massacre, imprisonment, torture, displacement and sterilization of Amaras.

Despite his past wicked deeds, most Amara elites were completely blinded by the serpent’s cunning “Ethiopia” rhetoric when he was systematically installed to power by foreign agents last year. The credulous Amara elites forgot that the serpent was a high-ranking spy director and Legesesse Zenawi’s right hand when Amaras were facing massacres, tortures, displacement and ethnic cleansing in every corner of the nation.

Like immature and uncultured teenagers, the gullible Amara elites were terribly seduced by pastor Abiy Ahmed’s fake preaching about love, unity, reconciliation and forgiveness. Most Amara elites did not want to recall that the serpent pastor was the leader of EPRDF that hanged water bottles on testicles of Amara men, and administered unique birth control programs to sterilize Amara women.

In fact, many opportunist Amara elites considered him as the Mosses of the biblical Exudes forgetting the surmountable crimes he and his masters did to the Amaras. These opportunist Amara elites did not want to admit that the fake preacher served like a jack ass to the ruthless EPRDF, a front established to break the backs and the hips of Amaras. The Gullible Amara elites failed to acknowledge that their preacher pastor built an ugly breast monument based on fire-place folktales to separate the Amaras from the people the pastor claims to represent.

Most Amara elites forgot that the architect of the anti-Amara EPRDF, Legesess Zenawi, never ordained cadres, spy agents or high-ranking officials unless they exhibit deep hate for Amaras or show strong love affair to their voracious large stomachs.  The gullible Amara elites failed to predict that the pastor was preaching phony love and unity to buy time and strengthen his power to control Amaras.

Like Kolakowsk’s soul, Timothy Snyder ‘s heart is saddened by the gullible nature of most amara elites because they failed to see his red-warning sign, which reads “anticipatory obedience is a political tragedy”*. Like the fools who anticipate eggs of doves from the wombs of serpents, the gullible Amara elites expected a glitter of hope from the spy agents and cadres of the Legesse Zenawi’s EPRDF, who were chasing, killing, sterilizing and starving Amaras for decades. In fact, some Amara elites bowed like arcs below the knees of these criminals, and others became their full-time cadres and propagandists.

How difficult was it to comprehend that Legesse Zewai’s EPRDF committed mass murders and national treason using spy agents and cadres such as Abiy as effective tools? How complicated was it to read their 25 years resume? How hard was it to understand that these tools lack conscience, morality, self-confidence, vision, courage and pride like any other tools?

The gullible Amara elites forgot their brilliant forefathers’ teachings that empty love words come from the mouths of monsters that snatch believers from the hands of God. They failed to follow the teachings of the holy books, which warn people to identify fiends by their past and current deeds, not by their empty words.

Beyond the understandings of the suffering Amaras, some dupe Amara elites are still following the serpent’s swinging tail even at a time the serpent is chasing, stinging and killing the Amara leaders to weaken the strength of Amara and materialize the dream of building the republics of nations and nationalist on the graves of Amaras.

Many fools and HODAM Amara elites are licking the serpent’s tail even at this juncture when the serpent is turning every possible rock to make the Amara people leaderless while allowing his brutal kin to do whatever they want including killing, displacing, incarcerating, and robbing others.

It is unfortunate and sickening to see the gullible Amara elites contributing to the suffering and demise of Amara by committing political tragedy of anticipatory obedience, and by fabricating excuses of blaming the forbidden trees around the serpent instead of the serpent.

It was the serpent, not the forbidden trees, the unholy Adam and Eve cooked as an excuse at the beginning of genesis. Even Adam and Eve who directly blamed the serpent did not escape punishment because they keep cooking excuses and failed to repent their sins. Worse than Adam and Eve, the gullible Amara elites have miserably failed even to identify the serpent that misleads and stings the Amaras. The fools keep cooking excuses and blame the trees where the serpent resides.

The Amara elites should understand that the serpents are causing existential threats to the people of Amara, its beautiful Amaric Language, Scripts and well-designed calendar.

God has given us the brains so that we can predict the future based on past experiences. Our past experiences show that Abiyote Ahmed and his colleagues have been the leaders of EPRDF, a criminal origination that committed ethnic cleaning of Amaras in every corner of the country. For the survival of the well- cultured and God-fearing Amara people, the gullible elites shall repent and stand united against the serpents.  Thank you.

*Leszek Kolakowski & the anatomy of totalitarianism:  https://www.newcriterion.com/issues/2005/6/leszek-kolakowski-the-anatomy-of-totalitarianism

** Timothy Snyder, on Tyranny 2017: page 18

July 2019

The writer can be reached at abatebelai@yahoo.com

Similar Reads:

1. A Message to Amara Elites: Never Allow Ethnic Cleansing of Amara Again! https://www.zehabesha.com/a-message-to-amara-elites-never-allow-ethnic-cleansing-of-amara-again/?fbclid=IwAR39-VVEyK9B3K4qyv40xVyKLFAQ4yQd3NZ5gdVLLEIf-OL3BW8pyuuTAWI

2. Please Stop Predisposing Amaras to Continue Perishing in Cities and Rural Areas!

https://www.zehabesha.com/please-stop-predisposing-amaras-to-continue-perishing-in-cities-and-rural-areas/?fbclid=IwAR0Qk8s_L_KBHRRXn9o_pr0Uu5fVnyDhkI4MuXMye0enMnRcpwfc2owSorI

3. The Ethiopian Elites Have Failed to Follow The Principles of Our Forefathers! https://www.zehabesha.com/the-ethiopian-elites-have-failed-to-follow-the-principles-of-our-forefathers/?fbclid=IwAR2vDSOkwZ2-A8HUa-iajOYFrvb49Z2rdD62jLkfLA_T7p2V6vWcco9gEIk

4. በስልጣን ሰክሮ ያበደን ካድሬ ውይይትና ምክር ሊፈውሰው ይችላልን? https://welkait.com/?p=19399&fbclid=IwAR1PGGrvShRVdWUA5_-QmXlhonXcdrFDR-J6pIJv3LWBYPyRq9vwJLcWYYY

5. አማራ ሆይ! ምን እስኪሆን ነው የምትጠብቀው?

https://welkait.com/?p=17552&fbclid=IwAR1eqGmFZYQ_aO5tKOaJXsFZzW–Hi6PULfLQMJuSvh067CnTy-MMzFduuo

6. ጨቋኙ አማራ ይኸው ነው!

http://amharic.abbaymedia.info/archives/29664?fbclid=IwAR0e_LnjBSS5a32RXriIAS3_laU5kG-7WR3yaAZLzygplOiqXGeGFxecv54

7. አማራ ዳግም አትታለል እንደ ላሜ ቦራ!

https://welkait.com/?p=16336&fbclid=IwAR3TucrZU-L98xi7BHvmfy72coFWall47VWRKXYQs3OAlGT3_yttzFuqEns

8. ወጣት ሆይ! እደግ! ተመንደግ! – በላይነህ አባተ https://www.zehabesha.com/amharic/archives/94987?fbclid=IwAR16KT0YJujEAGRuw2Qum3Thw7GD6WvIp8TfLCXeETm6ptbZ2BRBzqJiL2g

9. ወጣት ሆይ! ለህልውናህም ሆነ ለክብርህ ወደ ባህልህ! http://ethioforum.org/amharic/%E1%8B%88%E1%8C%A3%E1%89%B5-%E1%88%86%E1%8B%AD-%E1%88%88%E1%88%85%E1%88%8D%E1%8B%8D%E1%8A%93%E1%88%85%E1%88%9D-%E1%88%86%E1%8A%90-%E1%88%88%E1%8A%AD%E1%89%A5%E1%88%AD%E1%88%85-%E1%8B%88%E1%8B%B0/?fbclid=IwAR0tsEDbDAQaE5BkeeJpzHCv3j30RxoxKtsV4ybfgBg8PTatn0eJmmIQSz0

10. አማራ ሆይ! ሰው እንሰሳም ነው! https://welkait.com/?p=19311&fbclid=IwAR15eJVKUJ_b6SBFd-Sz8_mJ4wDOCGfJ4a6gVy8HQJdTigeXypyWG7KTwSc

11. የአማራ ጨቋኙ አቀንቃኞች እምቢኝ አረፋውን ባህሪ! http://ethioforum.org/amharic/%E1%8B%A8%E1%8A%A0%E1%88%9B%E1%88%AB-%E1%8C%A8%E1%89%8B%E1%8A%99-%E1%8A%A0%E1%89%80%E1%8A%95%E1%89%83%E1%8A%9E%E1%89%BD-%E1%8A%A5%E1%88%9D%E1%89%A2%E1%8A%9D-%E1%8A%A0%E1%88%A8%E1%8D%8B%E1%8B%8D/?fbclid=IwAR06hGmzfyvYp0pamjEv2M4Oo3U4k5Lh1ucqE_NFHVb1MGmMet2mr-YUpeU

12. አማራ ከጅብ መንጋጋ ተላቆ ከእስስት አፍ ገብቷል! (በላይነህ አባተ) https://www.satenaw.com/amharic/archives/64345?fbclid=IwAR186W_UWnfZoS9_NhCKQ6hRHdx-c_W7HT3r0oLNVu1fzZhmad9LwyAsndY

13. ለአባትዮው ለገሰ ቦንድ ለልጁ ፓስተር አቢይ ፈንድ! https://welkait.com/?p=19088&fbclid=IwAR1mqyYRoNVg3ZCVPhEbSzxYZU3FGf1QH5siUhRwKdaKla-0Q6Ly4lKx7dY
14. ሕዝብ እንዲሰማህ ሰፊ አፍ ይኑርህ! http://www.zehabesha.com/amharic/archives/94149?fbclid=IwAR0531t6KCkF-TywMIFjVmqx-jZyabuh_Ourw5vqSlrFVACc8DH6ROXJgA8

15. በአማራ ሰማእታት የተፈጠመው ግፍ በቅዱሳን ሐዋርያት ከተፈጠመው ግፍ ይከፋል! (በላይነህ አባተ)

https://www.satenaw.com/amharic/archives/63706?fbclid=IwAR1Jz8X8rmn5Sxgbt9b-r_7VJ5P6stU0n79czhwp83hq9kB19i5_hiBhDRc

16. ይሁዳ ክርስቶስን በሰላሳ ዲናር ሸጠው! (በላይነህ አባተ )

https://www.satenaw.com/amharic/archives/61148?fbclid=IwAR2x5wsTnwsME1ckDTJJfBg1VI_TgjoH0Wvba8dq_PjEyqkEcm32hq2cu5I

17. Urgent Message to Amara Elites: Speak Up Against The Ethnic Cleansing of Amara!

https://www.zehabesha.com/urgent-message-to-amara-elites-speak-up-against-the-ethnic-cleansing-of-amara/?fbclid=IwAR1XeFACxW_EiJB03BjvYZrMtNL0J7TFUgBO9OMGAGpGvGOsDQmryq4UJ4c

The post In Politics, Being Deceived Is No Excuse! appeared first on Satenaw: Ethiopian News/Breaking News: Your right to know!.

By Kebour Ghenna
October 6, 2019

Yes, what is this election for if it does not answer the relevant and serious political, societal and economic questions of Ethiopia, or help us pursue common interests and aspirations, or make the country easier to govern… What good is it? For people to vote but nothing is really resolved or reconciled

What the 2020 voting will do is nation-deconstruction, not nation-building, national disunity, not national unity, disintegration, not integration. In these conditions, whatever democracy we claim to exercise devolves into a zero-sum competition, one in which the ugliest us-versus-them instincts takes precedence. Ethiopians today view their fellow neighbors not as fellow Ethiopians, but as enemies to be vanquished. The simple truth is that Ethiopia is losing its sense of mission or purpose as a country.

The upcoming election would be different, radically, clearly and manifestly from those of years past. For a start it will be the most consequential in our lifetimes; survival of the country, as we know it today, may depend on it. And yet our discourses are just limited to speculating whether ELECTIONS WILL TAKE PLACE OR NOT! Surely there’s a big storm out there somewhere…No?

The government is creating the illusion that everything will be sorted out with this election and that individuals must give their total support for its success. Yet what kind of success is the government referring to, if any, is not clear.

This is the first time, in our history, that we’ll vote mostly along ethnic divide…. We’ll choose between an ethnic identity and multiculturalism. I take no joy in this assertion. This is not an election about issues, not about innovation and productivity, not about fighting violence, famines, disease, misery, depression, inflation, living in peace, traffic, price of onions…This is not about Egypt, debt, climate change, privatization, or rural financing. This is about ourselves, about our willingness and readiness to live together. Can we… do we… want to live together. WHAT DO WE WANT?

This will be an election where our chronic lack of shared vision as a country will be clearly manifested. Without a shared vision, the tendency is for citizens to devalue one another as they glorify themselves and their ethnic identity, believing that they are the best thing to have happened to their country. Such selfish greed hardly allows for time to think of Ethiopia in real terms as a collective treasure to be valued and protected by its inhabitant.

No surprise there!

The country’s constitution for the past 25 years or so served to accelerate this division, turning the people against one another. This was a constitution specifically designed to divide and split the hell out of us, and to a remarkable extent, it has succeeded in doing just that. Funny enough many still want to keep this constitution with all its faults than fight for another that keeps Ethiopia together.

This is an election devoid of ideas in dealing with the rise of ethnic hatreds. Prime Minister Abye knows it, his government has yet to define Ethiopia’s national purpose, reflect on whether centralism or decentralism will be the governing political strand of the country, develop a sound architecture of political institutions and rules, agree on the way decisions are made, including consensus with each regional state having a veto power on critical decisions.

We’re in an “Election -or-Die” trap. No politicians seem willing to consider postponing this election, until the country stabilizes.
And when you’re in an Election-or-Die trap, leaders will want to get out of it in the worst possible way. That is, they will choose the worst way forward – ignore the problem, more entertainment, and more feeble and divisive policies. The politics of strife and conflict and the struggle for power will be tactfully relegated to the regions, while the leaders (federal and regional), like master juggler, play quietly the regional or ethnic elites against one another.

So why insist in holding the election next year? Why not sort out the reasons and grievances that brought about the rise of ethnic politics first? Why not find a way to call this generation of Ethiopians to a constitutional convention to shape Ethiopia’s future and to prevent a national unity crisis. Such mega constitutional politics is not something new. The US, Canada, most East European countries, South Africa passed through such mega constitutional upheavals. Surely this requires leadership to set the direction, and I still believe Abye, together with the regional presidents and other leaders, is the one who’s well placed to conduct this reform.

Will such initiative help us build a united, forward looking, progressive Ethiopia?

You decide.

The post Ethiopia:What is this election for? appeared first on Satenaw: Ethiopian News/Breaking News: Your right to know!.

Addis Standard
October 6, 2019

A statement issued by Ethiopia following trilateral talked between the Water Affairs Ministers of Ethiopia, Egypt, and Sudan which took place in Khartoum on 04 and 05 October 2019, denounced Egypt’s latest move to invite a third into the negotiations as disruptive and one that “side-steps[ed]” the working procedure of the NISRG.”

The AP quoted Egyptian presidency spokesman Bassam Radi as saying that “Egypt was looking forward to an “instrumental role” by the U.S. in the talks.”

“He said because there was no breakthrough in negotiations, there was a need for an “international instrumental role to overcome the current deadlock.”” AP reported.

This came in the backdrop of an unusual statement released by the US State Department on October 03 in which the US said it “supports Egypt, Ethiopia, and Sudan’s ongoing negotiations to reach a cooperative, sustainable, and mutually beneficial agreement on filling and operating the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam,” a move many saw as tilting the balance of negotiations in favor of Egypt.

Last night’s statement from Ethiopia’s ministry of Foreign Affairs added that “the filling plan of Ethiopia that is set to be completed in stages that will take four to seven years based on the hydrology is considerate of the interests of the downstream countries of the Nile. Furthermore, Ethiopia and Sudan followed a constructive and inclusive approach for the discussion of the NISRG. It accuses the Egyptian side of persisting “on its position of having all its proposals accepted without which it was not willing to have the NISRG conduct its analysis.”

Egypt came up with a new proposal during the tripartite meeting which took place in Cairo for the first time in more than a year. Ethiopia has rejected the proposal and said it was “technically impractical and is tantamount to agreeing to hold the operation of the GERD hostage to Egyptian water use downstream. Further since Ethiopia cannot control Egyptian water use/withdrawal from HAD, agreeing to this demand means ending up in perpetual ‘water debt.’”

Ethiopia’s latest statement rebuffed Egypt’s approach as “not new.” Rather, it is “yet another instance of a disruptive tactic it applied to halt the hydrology, environmental and social impact assessment on the GERD. Ethiopia maintains its stand on the possibility of resolving the issues based on trilateral technical consultation and the invocation of principle X of the DOP is premature.”

The statement went on to assure that Ethiopia “upholds the principles of equitable and reasonable utilization and the causing of no significant harm on any other riparian country in the use of the waters of the Nile,” a sentiment consistent with President Sahle-Work Zewde’s recent speech at the UN’s General Assembly.

“Furthermore, the Government of Ethiopia will continue to follow an approach that will not result in direct or indirect recognition of any preexisting water allocation treaty, which has no applicability whatsoever on Ethiopia,” the statement added.

AS

The post Ethiopia denounces Egypt’s latest move on dam as disruptive, pledges to continue with constructive talks appeared first on Satenaw: Ethiopian News/Breaking News: Your right to know!.

Last week, Susan Elizabeth Rice, President Obama’s former National Security Advisor and top confidant was ragging on President Donald Trump as the “destroyer of American democracy from within” as she hawked her book “Tough Love” on a talk show. Rice indignantly protested:

… For the first time I can remember, our democracy is under assault. Our country is in effect under attack. That attack is coming from 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue…. You’re thinking this man is not predictable, he’s not stable, he’s not playing with a full deck… And for all of the security threats I saw as national security advisor, I never thought I’d see that…

In June 2019, Susan Rice told a reporter:

They [Trump and his people] don’t care. They don’t seem to care about the integrity of our elections, the integrity of our democracy and what makes us Americans…”

According to Susan Rice, Donald Trump has either made America a banana republic or turned it into Dante’s Inferno: “Abandon all hope, ye who enter here”, the U.S. of A.

Run! Run for your lives, compatriots! Trump the Barbarian is attacking American democracy from his garrison at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

It is amusing for me to see Susan E. Rice shedding crocodile tears for American democracy and singing requiem hymns for the death of electoral integrity by the bludgeoning hands of Donald Trump.

Aaah! How quickly we forget!

Susan Rice, you may have forgotten it, but I have not.

There is an old Ethiopian saying, “If he who spears (stabs) forgets, he who is speared (stabbed) does not forget.

Susan Rice speared me in the heart on July 27, 2015 with a villainous laughter and piercing words.

As Susan Rice rises to accuse Donald Trump of democricide in America, I rise to accuse, once again, Susan E. Rice of democricide in Ethiopia.

Susan Rice has no moral authority or standing to accuse President Trump of assault and murder of democracy in America because she herself was an accomplice and aider and abettor in the assault on and murder of democracy in Ethiopia.

I accused Susan E. Rice of democricide in Ethiopia in my July 31, 2015 commentary, “Susan Rice Laughing at Ethiopia’s 2015 Elektion”.

At a press conference during Obama’s trip to Kenya and Ethiopia in July 2015, Susan E. Rice busted out laughing immediately after she stated that the election of the “Prime Minister of Ethiopia [Hailemariam Desalegn]” is “absolutely – 100 percent democratic”. That election took a few weeks before Obama and Rice arrived in Ethiopia for a state visit.

For those who cannot access the video, this was Susan Rice’s response:

Reporter Isaac: Does the President consider the presidents of Kenya and Ethiopia democratically elected Presidents?

Susan Rice: I think the Prime Minister of Ethiopia was just elected with 100 percent of the vote, which I think suggests, as we have stated in our public statements, some concern for the integrity of the electoral process — at least if not in the outcomes then in some of the mechanisms that supported the process, the freedom for the opposition to campaign.

Reporter Isaac: But does he [President Obama] think it was a democratic election?

Susan Rice: Absolutely – 100 percent. [Busts out laughing uncontrollably.]

Human Rights Watch commenting on the 2015 “100 percent election” victory wrote:

According to Ethiopia’s National Electoral Board, the ruling Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) coalition won 546 parliamentary seats (with the 547th seat still to be announced).

The results shouldn’t be seen as a stamp of approval for Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn’s government – rather they are the inevitable outcome of a political system in which opposition parties face extraordinary challenges and nearly all avenues for citizens to engage in political debate are closed.

The theft of democracy and elections in Ethiopia was masterminded by the late brutal Ethiopian dictator Meles Zenawi, a man Susan Rice described as my “true friend”.

Meles Zenawi was a serial election thief, among other things.

He stole the 2005 Ethiopian election.

The European Union  Election Observation Mission – Ethiopia 2005 in its final report stated, “The  2005 elections fell short of international principles for genuine democratic elections.” That is diplomatic speak for stolen election.

Meles Zenawi, following the 2005 election, jailed “several dozen opposition politicians, journalists, editors and civil society activists. Ethiopian authorities have indicated that several among them are likely to face charges of treason, which carries a potential sentence of death under Ethiopian law.”

In 2010, Susan Rice’s “true friend” claimed to have won 99.6 percent of the seats in the Ethiopian parliament.

The European Union  Election Observation Mission – Ethiopia 2010 in its final report stated “the electoral process fell short of certain international commitments, notably regarding  the transparency  of the process and the lack of a level playing field for all contesting parties.” Again, stolen election.

In 2015, Meles Zenawi’s TPLF party, following Zenawi’s playbook, won 100 percent of the seats in parliament. It was theft of an election in broad daylight.

Susan Rice’s “true friend”, Meles Zenawi, was an enemy of democracy, a notorious and brazen election thief and persecutor and jailer of political opponents who trounced him in a democratic election.

The fact of the matter is that Susan E. Rice is a fake defender of democracy, a dissembler of democracy.

Susan Rice worshiped Africans tyrants and enemies of democracy at the altar of dictatorship.

Susan Rice was BFF (best friends for life) with some of the most brutal African dictators  who not only stole elections but also changed their constitutions to become presidents-for-life. Susan Rice never met a dictator she did not like.

Of course, her favorite dictator was her “true friend” Meles Zenawi who ruled Ethiopia with an iron fist and lug-soled boots for over two decades.

Susan Rice’s eulogy of Meles Zenawi in 2012 could best be described as a canonization for sainthood:

Meles was a friend both to my country and to me personally… He was selfless, tireless and totally dedicated to his work and family… In the toughest times, he retained that twinkle in his eye, his roiling laugh, his ready smile and his wicked sense of humor. True, he never lacked confidence in his judgement. He wasn’t just brilliant, a relentless negotiator, and consumer of knowledge. He was uncommonly wise, able to see the big picture and long game. He was tough, unsentimental and sometimes and yielding. He had little patience for fools or as liked to call them idiots. From among many of his admirable qualities was his world class mind. He was consistently reasoned in his judgment and thoughtful in his decisions. He was both a son and father of Ethiopia 43 birth… He is a true friend to me and many…

But Saint Meles Zenawi not only had a wicked sense of humor, he was also a villainous and wicked shapeshifting dictator “who smiled as he murdered and murdered as he smiled”, to paraphrase Shakespeare.

In 2008, Parade Magazine described Zenawi as one of “The World’s Worst Dictators”.

In 2012, The Economist described Zenawi as “The man who tried to make dictatorship acceptable.”

The Atlantic in 2012 described Zenawi as a “modern dictator who cracked down on civil society organizations and journalists”, and whose “rule was marked by a cynical divide-and-conquer strategy that excluded several of the country’s major ethnic groups from political and economic life, and that denied humanitarian aid to supposedly disloyal sectors of the country.”

Foreign Policy Magazine described Zenawi as “not your typical one-dimensional African strongman.”

It was Meles Zenawi, the man who killed democracy and untold numbers of innocent Ethiopians that Susan Rice described as “a true friend” and a “friend to me personally”.

Today, Susan Rice has the gall to accuse Donald Trump of mounting an “assault on American democracy” and destroying “the integrity of our elections”.

Is the pot calling the kettle black?

But hypocrisy runs in the bloodstream of the Obama extended political family.

In June 2013, Obama the hypocrite ripped into the late dictator Robert Mugabe who claimed to have won his election in Zimbabwe by 61 percent of the vote:

… So there is an opportunity to move forward — but only if there is an election that is free, and fair, and peaceful, so that Zimbabweans can determine their future without fear of intimidation and retribution.  And after elections, there must be respect for the universal rights upon which democracy depends.

Obama and Rice accused Robert Mugabe of being an election thief when he won by 61 percent of the vote, but it was “absolutely 100 percent democratic” when Meles Zenawi claimed 100 percent electoral victory in Ethiopia.

A hypocrite is as a hypocrite does.

Legend has it that President Franklin D. Roosevelt once said of Nicaraguan dictator Anastasio Somoza that “Somoza may be a son of a bitch, but he’s our son of a bitch.”

I guess for Obama and Rice, “Zenawi may be an S.O.B, but he is their S.O.B.”

Despite lofty rhetoric in support of the advancement of democracy and protection of human rights in Africa, Susan Rice and Barack Obama continued to subsidize and coddle African dictatorships that are as bad as or even worse than Mugabe’s.

Obviously, in Susan Rice’s mind “stupid is as stupid does.” Africans have never known democracy; therefore dictatorship is democracy for them. 

Apparently, a democracy that is good for the American goose is not good for the Ethiopian gander.

Fake and sham democracy for Ethiopia and Africa is just fine and dandy, according to Susan Rice.

For America, democracy is a sacrosanct institution to be enshrined and cherished in the Holy of Holies.

It must be defended tooth and nail against a man, to use Susan Rice’s phrase, “who is not playing with a full deck”.

When push comes to shove on American democracy, Susan Rice trumpets atop her moral high horse, “Cry ‘Havoc,’ and let slip the dogs of war!”

The fact of the matter is that for the Janus-faced Susan Rice democracy is a question of moral relativism.

Democratic elections are relative. Election integrity is relative.

For Susan Rice to call President Trump the assassin of American democracy is the height of hypocrisy.

Scripture teaches, “Don’t focus on the speck in your brother’s eye while ignoring the log in your own eye.”

Sister Susan, I say this to you from the bottom of my heart:

Look hard in the mirror. Everything you said about President Trump, I said about you in July 2015. You might just be talking about yourself when you accused President Trump of democricide in America.

Sister Susan, when you point one finger at President Trump for “assaulting democracy”, remember there are three fingers pointing back to you for your support of dictators all over Africa who murdered democracy in its infancy or made sure it was stillborn.

Sister Susan, when you come out swinging at Donald Trump as a holy roller crusader for American democracy, I laugh at you today just as you laughed at me and  100 million Ethiopians in 2015 after saying an election won 100 percent by one party is “100 percent democratic.”

Sister Susan, when I see you preaching morality, constitutionality and patriotism sanctimoniously to Donald Trump from your holier-than-thou pulpit of hypocrisy, I really pity you.

Sister Susan, shed your crocodile tears over the horrible death of American democracy at the hands of Donald Trump to Americans who do not know you.

I know you.

Ethiopians know who you really are.

When you told them the 2015 election was “100 percent democratic”, you not only disrespected them, you also insulted their intelligence.

Sister Susan, Africans know who you really are.

Might I ask you Sister Susan, did you shed a tear when 800 thousand Rwandans were murdered in 1994?

Did you not say in 1994, as a staffer on the National Security Council, “If we use the word ‘genocide’ and are seen as doing nothing in Rwanda, what will be the effect on the November [congressional] election?”

Sister Susan, tell me, was the moral choice for you winning an election and losing 800 thousand Rwadans?

Sister Susan, let me assure you that Ethiopians do not suffer fools, idiots and those who insult their intelligence and undermine their heroic efforts to establish democracy for themselves and their posterity.

Ethiopians forgive but they never forget!

Whatever President Trump has committed or omitted in the performance of his presidential duties are now under scrutiny by the U.S. House of Representatives.

As a constitutional lawyer, I have had opportunity to study and teach Congress’ power of impeachment (U.S. Const. art.1, §2, cl.5.2; U.S. Const. art.1, §3, cl.6).

Whether an allegation of “assault on American democracy” by one who “does not play with a full deck” amounts to an impeachable “high crime and misdemeanor” remains to be seen.

Regarding impeachment, President Gerald Ford said it best, “An impeachable offense is whatever a majority of the House of Representatives considers it to be at a given moment in history.”

Sister Susan, tough love should begin with tough self-love.

As you dish out your “urgent appeal to the American public to bridge our dangerous domestic divides in order to preserve our democracy” in your book, try a taste of your own medicine which you push on others: Honesty, integrity, sincerity, veracity, probity and a little dash of humanity.

Sister Susan, you could “wet your cheeks with artificial tears of a dying American democracy and frame your face” to sell your book, to paraphrase Shakespeare, but be mindful you are in a tough spot to pontificate or hector Donald Trump or anyone else about democracy.

 

The post Open Letter to Susan Hypocrit E Rice: People Who Live in Glass Houses Should Not Throw Stones appeared first on Satenaw: Ethiopian News/Breaking News: Your right to know!.

Remarks by Mr. Obang Metho on Shimelis Abdissa’s speech at the Ireecha Festival

October 7, 2019

In a speech given at the 2019 Ireecha Festival, Mr. Shimelis Abdissa, the Deputy President of Oromia Regional State, who also is the top official of the Oromo Democratic Party (ODP/EPRDF), the political party currently in power in Ethiopia and also the former Chief of Staff to Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, made a number of highly controversial statements that have incited anger and rocketed suspicions to new heights among countless Ethiopians.

Whether it was a mistake or intentional; either way, Deputy President Shimelis Abdissa’s comments raise serious questions that require some explanation. In our present ethnic-dominated, political climate, such comments are loaded with innuendos of what people are now saying is “a takeover turn.” It builds the case of those who are suspicious of the motivation behind the players leading the current reforms. Are they genuine? If this was an unfortunate overstatement by Shimelis, the public needs answers to their questions before it creates a bigger divide between an already divided society.

I also have questions. The language he used was similar to what we have heard over the past 27 years from the TPLF-controlled EPRDF who used the dehumanization and labeling of others to separate, alienate and isolate Ethiopians from working together or standing together. It resulted in erasing an important bond, hat of our shared humanity and common national identity that previously had kept Ethiopia together a proud nation. It served as an attempt to divide and conquer “the people” outside their own “ethnic box.”

I could not ignore it in the past fifteen years of my effort to advocate for the rights and wellbeing of all Ethiopian and to help bring reconciliation, peace and respect to the people of Ethiopia and I cannot ignore it now. In fact, in the past years when this kind of language was used against fellow Ethiopians, including my own ethnic group as well as Oromo, Amhara, Somalian, Muslim and others, I condemned it. This is why it is so shocking to hear this now coming from the president of this region. I thought we were done with the abusive languages of division and dehumanization. So, when I heard him speak to thousands of Ireecha celebrants at Meskel Square in the center of Addis Ababa, I was greatly disturbed to hear him talk about defeating.

He said, :“This is where the Oromo people broken. This is where the humiliation began. This is where his conscious is broken. This is where Tufa Muna and other fighters of that time broken by the Neftegna system. Today we have broken and rooted out who broken us. Oromo honored in its humiliation place. You won Oromo”!

He also stated that the Oromo had been denied the opportunity to celebrate the Ireecha Festival for the last 150 years. It is true that Ethiopia has a mixed history like most of the countries in the world; some of which we can be proud of and some that we are not. Opinions also may vary from group to group about what is good and bad; however, the speech was disheartening and many Ethiopians are now reacting to it. His labeling did not make the break from our flawed past, but seemed to repeat some aspects of it once again. It was not something we would have expected from the president of one of the largest, most populous regions of the country and the party that is in charge of leading Ethiopia. Mr. Shimelis’s speech is not only opposite to the Medemer Philosophy but it erased the Medemer Philosophy that Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and his Oromo Democratic Party (ODP) uses as a fundamental concept to convince and unity the people of Ethiopia.

What we all, Ethiopians need to “Break and Root Out” is not an ethnic group or religious group or any other group but they are multiple, namely: tyranny, persecution, injustice, ethnic hatred and violence, human rights abuses, false imprisonments, denial of freedoms of expression, assembly or movement, the lack of free and fair elections, a weak rule of law, insecurity, and inequality of opportunity, poverty, health care, lack of education, housing, road, infrastructure and sustainable development. Most of all, it is ethnic-based politics and ethnic federalism that is most likely to tear Ethiopia apart if it is not handled swiftly and wisely, with justice and wisdom.

When this current change of Team Lemma or Oro-Amhara began in May 2018, I came out right away and embraced it. I supported the prime minister Dr. Abiy Ahmed; not because of his ethnicity or political party, but because he articulated  a vision for a country where the best interests of the people—not a region or a group—would be made the priority, giving us hope for a country where we can all live together and be valued as citizens. This is what I stand for and is what will bring peace among us, regardless of differences.

These are ways to measure genuine victory but we are not there yet. We may have won some battles as result of the Team Lemma or Oro-Amhara coalition, but we the people are still far away from the total victory. To gain that Common Good Victory for all, we have to reclaim our individual dignity and respect the dignity of others— for no one will be free until all are free. This means restoring the value of each of us— putting humanity over ethnicity or any other differences. These are the foundational principles for any healthy, harmonious and prosperous society.

This Ireecha celebration could have been used as an umbrella to bring everyone together for peace building. It could have been utilized to reconcile Ethiopian people who for many years have been intentionally divided by their ethnicities and any other differences as a means to maintain power over them by few elites.

One of the biggest mistakes done at this Ireecha celebration was the glaring absence of any Ethiopian flag, even the current flag of the EPRDF. Instead, the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) political flag was there and the security officials did not take it away. In Ethiopian society, flags have been repeatedly used as strong identity symbols of alliance or rebellion of opposing groups. The missing Ethiopian national flag during the Ireecha Festival was a strong statement that was all the more shocking after the historical Ethiopian flag was outlawed during the annual religious holiday in the Ethiopian Orthodox Churches commemoration of the discover of the True Cross just over a week ago.

The EPRDF flag with the star in the middle was allowed. Some among the Orthodox defied the restrictions. It resulted in the arrest of some 55 people who carried or displayed the historic flag of green, yellow and red that many Ethiopians regard as highly symbolic of the sacrifice of those who fought for the country in the past.

These are the kinds of loaded sensitive issues that can become major mistakes, with serious consequences, for any country that is truly seeking peace. It can be especially dangerous in a country like Ethiopia where ethno-nationalism and conflict is on the rise. Look at our unhealthy obsession with ethnicity, starting with the Preamble of the Ethiopian Constitution that addresses the people of the country as “Nations, Nationalities and Peoples”. Add to that ethnic federalism, ethnic-based political parties, regional states, banks, ID cards with ethnicity, sports clubs and so on—all geared to an ethnic group. We should be cautious.

As someone who cares a great deal about the welfare of all Ethiopian regardless of ethnicity, I hope this kind of mistake will not be done again; or if it was intentional, that the whole agenda behind this be re-evaluated in a transparent manner. It is very dangerous and a threat to the existence of all of us. The concern for the basic rights of our citizens should not be greater simply because someone comes from a preferred group or region.

I call on all Ethiopians to abandon the politics of ethnic hatred, isolation, deception and pretension. It is time to embrace the politics of ideas and principles that advance justice, rights and equality for all. It is too early to celebrate a true victory! Let us hold off our celebrations until we see meaningful reforms, especially constitutional and institutional reform, restorative justice and genuine reconciliation provide a foundation for a healthier, righteous, more caring, and more peaceful society. 

Let us then pass this kind of blessing to future generations of Ethiopians as well as to those beyond our borders. The choice is ours! Let us, strive to make it become the “Genuine turn of all the people not only few” for all the citizens of the country.

May God bless Ethiopia and long live Ethiopia!

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ADDIS ABABA, Oct. 7 (Xinhua) — Ethiopia’s House of People’s Representatives (HoPR) and House of Federation (HoF) opened a new session on Monday, emphasizing some of the key socio-economic and political targets for the new Ethiopian 2012 year.

Addressing the joint session of the two houses that marks the new session of the two houses, Ethiopian President Sahle-Work Zewde presented key social, economic and political directions and plans that the East African country will pursue in the New Ethiopian year, which started on September 12.

Zewde stressed that ensuring national security and stability is a major target for the government for the 2019-2020 Ethiopian fiscal year.

Zewde also stressed that the government “will implement various activities that focused on national reconciliation and understanding,” with a major target to sustain the ongoing wide-ranging national reform.

“The government will strive its utmost efforts to make sure that this year’s election will be more democratic, free and fair than previous elections,” Zewde told members of the two houses.

She also underscored that the contribution of the public is important to realize the Ethiopian government’s resolve in assuring a democratic election procedure.

Noting the major aspirations of the East African country’s homegrown economic reform, Zewde also emphasized some of the major plans in the economic sector that include ensuring macroeconomic stability, promoting private sector intervention in key economic sectors, as well as integrated job creation efforts.

The joint session on Monday, which marked the first day of the fifth year of the fifth parliamentary session of the Ethiopian House of People’s Representatives and House of Federation, witnessed details of the socio-economic and political directions that the east African country will pursue in the just-commenced Ethiopian 2012.

Ethiopia has a unique calendar, whereby the country counts its annual year seven to eight years, based on leap year, behind the internationally acclaimed Gregorian calendar.

Accordingly, the Ethiopian New Year that falls on September 12, 2019 marked the beginning of the Ethiopian 2012 year.

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Ethiopian Airlines says whistle-blower is a disgruntled former employee and categorically denies his allegations.

Ethiopian Airlines’ former chief engineer said in a whistleblower complaint the carrier accessed the maintenance records of a Boeing 737 Max jet a day after it crashed this year, a breach he contends was part of a pattern of corruption that included fabricating documents, signing off on shoddy repairs, and even beating those who got out of line.

Yonas Yeshanew, who resigned last summer and is seeking asylum in the US, said while it was unclear what, if anything, in the records was altered, the decision to go into them at all when they should have been sealed reflected a government-owned airline with few boundaries and plenty to hide.

“The brutal fact shall be exposed… Ethiopian Airlines is pursuing the vision of expansion, growth and profitability by compromising safety,” Yeshanew said in his report, which he gave to The Associated Press after sending it last month to the US Federal Aviation Administration and other international air safety agencies.

Yeshanew’s criticism of Ethiopian’s maintenance practices, backed by three other former employees who spoke to AP, makes him the latest voice urging investigators to take a closer look at potential human factors in the Max saga and not just focus on Boeing’s faulty anti-stall system, which has been blamed in two crashes in four months.

Ethiopian Airlines portrayed Yeshanew as a disgruntled former employee and categorically denied his allegations, which paint a blistering counterpoint to the perception of the airline as one of Africa’s most successful companies and a source of national pride.

Yeshanew alleged in his report and interviews with AP that Ethiopian was growing too fast and struggling to keep planes in the air now that it carried 11 million passengers a year, four times what it was handling a decade ago, including flights to Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington and Newark, New Jersey.

He said mechanics were overworked and pressed to take shortcuts to get planes cleared for takeoff, while pilots were flying on too little rest and not enough training.

Can Boeing weather the 737 Max storm?

He also produced an FAA audit from three years ago that found, among dozens of other problems, that nearly all of the 82 mechanics, inspectors and supervisors whose files were reviewed lacked the minimum requirements for doing their jobs.

Yeshanew included emails showing he urged top executives for years to end a practice at the airline of signing off on maintenance and repair jobs that he asserts were done incompletely, incorrectly or not at all. He said he stepped up his efforts following the October 29, 2018, crash of a Lion Air Boeing 737 Max in Indonesia that killed all 189 people on board.

One email Yeshanew sent to CEO Tewolde Gebremariam urged him to “personally intervene” to stop mechanics from falsifying records.

Those pleas were ignored, he said. And after the March 10, 2019, nosedive crash of an Ethiopian Boeing 737 Max outside Addis Ababa that killed all 157 people on board, Yeshanew said it was clear the mindset had not changed.

Yeshanew said on the day after the crash, Ethiopian’s Chief Operating Officer Mesfin Tasew openly agonised that the airline could be blamed because of its maintenance “issues” and “violations”, and he ordered that records on the downed Max plane be checked for “mistakes”.

“We pray to God that this will not point to our fault,” Yeshanew quoted the COO as saying.

That same day, Yeshanew said in his report, someone logged into the computerised maintenance record-keeping system, specifically on the records from the downed plane that detailed a flight-control problem – “a roll to the right” – that pilots had reported three months earlier. Yeshanew included in his report a screenshot of a directory of the records related to the problem that showed a final entry that was time-stamped March 11.

Yeshanew said he did not know what was in the records previously or if they were changed, only that the records were left to say that tests had been done and the issue had been resolved. While he doubted that the flight-control problem brought the plane down, he said any changes to the records would call into question the actual condition of the airplane at the time of the crash as well as the integrity of the airline as a whole.

Aviation experts say after a crash, maintenance records – specifically, log books and task cards containing notes by pilots and fixes by mechanics – are required by international air safety regulators to be immediately sealed off, and any attempt to manipulate them is a serious violation tantamount to trampling on a crime scene.

“If there is an accusation that you went into records, it means you’re hiding something, you have something to hide,” said John Goglia, a former member of the US National Transportation Safety Board and an expert in aircraft maintenance.

A deadly year for the aviation industry: What went wrong? | Counting the Cost

In its response to AP, Ethiopian denied a history of tampering and shoddy maintenance, and denied its COO or anyone else ordered someone to change the maintenance records on the downed 737 Max.

It said as soon as the accident happened, those documents were sealed, stored in a secure place, and delivered to Ethiopia’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau. It added while “a technician tried to see the aircraft records” its review found no data was changed or updated.

The company confirmed Yeshanew served as director of aircraft engineering and planning but said he was demoted because of a “serious weaknesses in leadership, discipline and poor integrity”.

“He is a disgruntled ex-employee who fabricated a false story about Ethiopian Airlines, partly to revenge for his demotion while working in Ethiopian, and partly to probably develop a case to secure asylum in the USA,” the airline said. “We would like to confirm once more that all his allegations are false and baseless.”

Yeshanew and his attorney, Darryl Levitt, said that he was never demoted and, in fact, his steady rise through the ranks over a 12-year career at Ethiopian continued even into this year when he was tapped to oversee a new venture making aircraft parts and investigate two pilots who botched a landing in Uganda and nearly skidded into Lake Victoria. Yeshanew said his recommendations after that incident – fewer inexperienced pilots in cockpits and better training – went unheeded.

Among the allegations in Yeshanew’s report is that Ethiopian maintains a jail-like detention centre on the grounds of its Addis Ababa headquarters that it used to interrogate, intimidate and sometimes beat up employees who got out of line. Yeshanew said he knows of at least two mechanics beaten up in the past three years after falling out of favour with the company, and he feared the same fate awaited him.

Yeshanew said in the report and later interviews with AP that he was taken to the single-storey, dirt-floored detention center in July on suspicion he was talking to news organisations, and after 10 hours of questioning was told he would be thrown into jail “like all the other persons before” him if he didn’t keep quiet. He took that as a threat of torture.

“If you are in jail, it means you’ll be beaten, you will be tortured,” he told AP. “There is no difference in the current political system of Ethiopia.”

Four days later, Yeshanew fled to the US with this wife and two children and settled in the Seattle area.

A former spokesman for the airline union, Bekele Dumecha, told AP he met with more than a dozen workers over six years who had been beaten at the same detention centre, including one of the alleged victims identified by Yeshanew. Dumecha said he saw that person an hour after he was released, bruised and staggering.

“He couldn’t walk properly,” said Dumecha, who is now living in Minnesota and also seeking asylum. “He was mentally and physically destroyed.”

In its statement, Ethiopian Airlines denied that a detention center for torture exists and offered to show an AP reporter around the grounds. But after AP sought such a tour this past week, Ethiopian officials said it would take several weeks to arrange.

For the 39-year-old Yeshanew, the decision to become a whistleblower has come at a heavy price. He is leaving behind relatives and a job that he called “the dream of my life”, one with prestige and a big enough salary for him to buy a three-storey house. He is not sure of what kind of job he can get in the US, or if he will even be granted asylum.

Ultimately, he said, he has dreams of returning to his native Ethiopia and even going back to work at Ethiopian Airlines.

“I have to reveal the truth, the reality to the world, so that the airline will be fixed,” he said, “because it can’t continue like what it is doing now.”

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Mahlet Fasil

Addis Abeba, Oct. 09/2019 – National Elections and the Roles of Stakeholders is the title of the international conference that focuses on constructive cooperation with stakeholders such as political parties, the media and civil society being held by the National Electoral Board of Ethiopia. The conference opened on the morning of the 8^th of October, 2019 by the FDRE President Sahle-Work Zewde at the African Union hall comes amid the board’s preparations for the upcoming elections which included amending the electoral law.

The President remarked that national elections are the only way to proceed to democracy and said that all stakeholders should make sure that elections are held successfully. Birtukan Mideksa, chairwoman of NEBE, on her part said that the upcoming election must be successful and called for all stakeholders to do their part in ensuring that.

The US Ambassador to Ethiopia Michael Raynor stated the commitment his government has for the electoral process in Ethiopia, quoting a figure, USD 30 Million, the US government has so far given exclusively to support the 2020 elections. He added that the upcoming elections will be an important milestone on the path to a prosperous, stable and politically inclusive future.

The board should be ‘trustworthy, independent and hardworking’ was what Professor Attahiru Jega, former commissioner of Nigeria’s Independent National Electoral Commission, said in his presentation to highlight good practices from his country. He added that there should be trust and respect between the public and the election board.

The conference which is slated to continue for a second day, will discuss good practices from other countries focusing on healthy ways problems in the electoral process are solved.

AS

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