[DEHAI] The Total Domination of the Ethiopian Army by Ethnic Tigrean Officers


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From: Berhane Habtemariam (Berhane.Habtemariam@gmx.de)
Date: Tue Jun 02 2009 - 04:40:56 EDT


The Total Domination of the Ethiopian Army by Ethnic Tigrean Officers

 <http://www.ginbot7.com/Ginbot_7_Report_30_May_2009.htm> Ginbot7

Jun 2nd, 2009 . <http://www.EastAFRO.com/Post/category/news> News

http://www.ginbot7.com/Ginbot_7_Report_30_May_2009.htm

Since day one of its active political life, Ginbot 7 has repeatedly informed
the international community that the ethnocentric political and economic
policies of the TPLF regime are the primary sources of violence and
instability in Ethiopia and the Horn of Africa at large Despite the
different masks that this crafty regime wears to dupe donor nations and
other stakeholders, Ginbot 7 has delved deep into the inner workings of the
TPLF regime and exposed the toxic ethnic policies that consumed the life of
many Ethiopians, and forced many others to seek refuge in neighboring
countries.

Unlike any other time in the nation's history, a minority ethnic group that
comprises no more than 6% of the total population (80 Million) controls the
political, economic, and social life of 94% of the Ethiopian people. In the
last month, the military intelligence wing of Ginbot 7 has uncovered vital
information that substantiates its past claims that all high level military
positions in the Ethiopian army are asymmetrically dominated by a minority
ethnic group lead by the TPLF elite.)

Article 88, Sub Article 2 of the Ethiopian constitution states: "The State
shall have the duty to respect the identity of the nations, nationalities
and peoples and on the basis of this promote equality, unity and fraternity
among them". However, despite what the Constitution says, in the last 18
years, the political, social, and economic affairs of Ethiopia has been
disproportionately controlled by a handful of Tigrean elites. For example,
93.5% of all key military positions in the Ethiopian National Defense Forces
are occupied by ethnic Tigreans, far in excess of their 6% representation
among the Ethiopian population.

Historically, the ethnic composition of the Ethiopian army was evenly
distributed between the different ethnic groups. Besides, a military
tradition of the Ethiopian Armed Forces which spans back through the
nation's long history was the ultimate example of a system based on
meritocracy. However, under the TPLF regime, since the Ethiopian army is
organized to defend the ruling party from the people, incompetent officers
who are loyal and ethnically related to the ruling party elites occupy
almost all key positions in the army.

In 1991, when the TPLF regime controlled Addis Ababa, economic development,
political inclusion, and ethnic equality were its three very important
promises that convinced the Ethiopian people to change their heart and give
the incoming new regime the benefit of the doubt, despite all signs that
TPLF was a party of one ethnic group. In fact, it wasn't just the Ethiopian
people that temporarily trusted the TPLF party; the entire free world that
stood with the Ethiopian people during the dark days of communism trusted
the minority TPLF regime as a vector of peace, equality, and democracy in
Ethiopia.

Today, after 18 long years, the Ethiopian people and many in the free world
realize that the guerrilla movement that took power preaching liberal
democracy and free market economy is neither democratic nor capitalist.

In the past three weeks, Ginbot 7 has issued a plethora of press releases
and public statements exposing the entrenched corruption of the TPLF regime,
which includes political exclusiveness, nepotism, and absolute control of
power. As it was clearly indicated in many of the public statements, ethnic
favoritism and nepotism are rampant in every aspect of public life in
Ethiopia, leading to deep disaffection and ethnic polarization in a nation
packed with a large number of ethnic groups.

Ginbot 7 fully understands that when channeling multi million dollar aid
packages to Ethiopia, the intention of donor nations is to finance economic
development in Ethiopia and to feed its growing population. However, a good
deal of the aid package is used by the regime for political purposes that
neither benefits the poor nor stimulates economic development. The grave
concern of Ginbot 7 and other Ethiopian progressive forces is not that the
world is helping Ethiopia, but that these donor nations and international
organizations do not hold the secretive TPLF regime accountable for the
amount of aid it receives every year.

For the most part, donor nations do not have proper monitoring mechanisms
that assess how aid funds are spent and who benefits from the expenditure.
Obviously, donor nations and tax payers in donor countries do not want to
see their funds used by dictators who deny freedom and justice to the very
people to whom the aid is intended. Likewise, no democratic citizen of the
world wants its hard earned money to go to a Third World country and be used
to prop up a dictatorial regime that muffles free press and kills democratic
movements. The message of Ginbot 7 to donor nations has always been to hold
the TPLF regime accountable for its political and economic actions, and
judge this authoritarian regime by applying the same moral standard used in
the Ukraine, the former Yugoslavia, Kenya, and Zimbabwe.

The TPLF regime and its puppets have used the state propaganda machines
internally and state funded news outlets internationally, to refute the
human rights reports of well respected international organizations such as
Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, the International Association of
Journalists (IAJ) as well as the U.S. State Department.

The table below shows that the TPLF regime has a virtual monopoly over
political power; and this monopoly is established among other things through
the introduction of ethnic politics into the political process. In Ethiopia,
ethnic politics is at the helm of the military and other civic
organizations, which naturally are supposed to be politically neutral
institutions. Ginbot 7 urges donor nations and other international aid
agencies to pay particular attention to this overwhelming evidence and
reconsider their policies towards a regime that benefits the few.

High Ranking Military Officials

Principal Defense Departments

No

Job Division

Name & Rank

Ethnic Group

1

Armed Forces Chief-of-Staff

General Smora Yenus

Tigre

2

Armed Forces Head of Training

Lt.General Tadesse Worde

Tigre

3

Head of Logistics

Lt.General Gezae Abera

Tigre

4

Head of Intelligence

Br. General Gebre Dela

Tigre

5

Armed Forces Head of Campaign

Major General Gebreegzher

Tigre

6

Armed Forces Head of Engineering

Lt.General Berhane Negash

Tigre

7

Chief of the Air Force

Chief of the Air Force

Tigre

Heads of the Nation's four Military Commands

No

Job Division

Name & Rank

Ethnic Group

1

Central Command

General Abebaw Tadesse

Agew

2

Northern Command

Lt.General Saere Mekonene

Tigre

3

South Eastern Command

Lt.General Abraha Wolde

Tigre

4

Western Command

Br. General Seyoum Hagos

Tigre

 

Army Divisional Commanders

Central Command

No

Job Division

Name & Rank

Ethnic Group

1

31st Army Division

Colonel Tsegaye Marx

Tigre

2

33rd Army Division

Colonel Kidane

Tigre

3

35th Army Division

Colonel Misganaw Alemu

Tigre

4

24th Army Division

Colonel Work Aynu

Tigre

5

22nd Army Division

Colonel Dikul

Tigre

6

8th Mechanized Division

Colonel Jamal Mohammed

Tigre

Northern Command

No

Job Division

Name & Rank

Ethnic Group

1

14st Army Division

Colonel Wodi Antiru

Tigre

2

21st Army Division

Colonel Gueshi Gebre

Tigre

3

11th Army Division

Colonel Workidu

Tigre

4

25th Army Division

Colonel Tesfay Sahiel

Tigre

5

22nd Army Division

Colonel Teklay Klashin

Tigre

6

4th Mechanized Division

Colonel Hinsaw Giorgis

Tigre

South Eastern Command

No

Job Division

Name & Rank

Ethnic Group

1

19st Army Division

Colonel Wodi Guaae

Tigre

2

44st Army Division

Colonel Zewdu Tefera

Tigre

3

13th Army Division

Colonel Sherifo

Tigre

4

12th Army Division

Colonel Mulugeta Berhe

Tigre

5

32nd Army Division

Colonel Abraha Tselim

Tigre

6

6th Mechanized Division

Colonel G/Medhin Fekede

Tigre

Western Command

No

Job Division

Name & Rank

Ethnic Group

1

23rd Army Division

Colonel Wolde Belalom

Tigre

2

43rd Army Division

Colonel Wodi Abate

Tigre

3

26th Army Division

Colonel Mebrahtu

Tigre

4

7th Mechanized Division

Colonel Gebre Mariam

Tigre

Commanders in Different Defense Departments

No

Job Division

Name & Rank

Ethnic Group

1

Agazi Commando Division

B.General Mohammed Esha

Tigre

2

Addis Ababa & Surrounding Area Guard

Colonel Zenebe Amare

Tigre

3

Palace Guard

Colonel Gerensay

Tigre

4

Banking Guard

Colonel Hawaz Woldu

Tigre

5

Engineering College

Colonel Halefom Eggigu

Tigre

6

Military Health Science

B.General Tesfay Gidey

Tigre

7

Mulugeta Buli Technical College

Colonel Meleya Amare

Tigre

8

Resource Management College

Colonel Letay

Tigre

9

Siftana Command College

B.General Moges Haile

Tigre

10

Blaten Military Training Center

Colonel Salih Berihu

Tigre

11

Wourso Military Training Center

Colonel Negash Heluf

Tigre

12

Awash Arba Military Training Center

Colonel Muze

Tigre

13

Birr Valley Military Training Center

Colonel Negassie Shikortet

Tigre

14

Defense Administration Department

B.General Mehari Zewde

Tigre

15

Defense Aviation

B.General Kinfe Dagnew

Tigre

16

Defense Research and Study

B.General Halefom Chento

Tigre

17

Defense Justice Department

Colonel Askale

Tigre

18

Secretary of the Chief-of-Staff

Colonel Tsehaye Manjus

Tigre

19

Indoctrination Center

B.General Akale Asaye

Amhara

20

Communications Department

Colonel Sebbhat

Tigre

21

Foreign Relations Department

Colonel Hassene

Tigre

22

Special Forces Coordination Department

B.General Fisseha Manjus

Tigre

23

Operations Department

Colonel Wodi Tewk

Tigre

24

Planning, Readiness and Programming Department

Colonel Teklay Ashebir

Tigre

25

Defense Industries Coordination Department

Colonel Wodi Negash

Tigre

26

Defense Finance Department

Colonel Zewdu

Tigre

27

Defense Purchasing Department

Colonel Gedey

Tigre

28

Defense Budget Department

Ato/Mr. Berhane

Tigre

One of the most common and great truths of our time is that freedom requires
international vigilance. The free people of the world cannot enjoy the full
benefit of being free when the freedom of 80 million Ethiopians is
egregiously violated by a regime that enjoys the full support of the free
world. In Ethiopia, the TPLF regime has tossed out freedom and democracy at
the crossroads. The problem in Ethiopia is not just the absence of
democracy. The Ethiopian people suffer from persistent, systematic, and
widespread human right violation. The TPLF regime continues to suppress
dissenting opinions and maintains political control over the legal system.
Arbitrary detentions, torture, ill-treatment of prisoners, and severe
restrictions on freedom of expression are the most common types of abuses
that the Ethiopian people face daily.

It is a sign of immense problem when a tiny minority of the population
monopolizes power in a country of 80 million people. It is in deed, a clear
indication of national crisis when a minority ethnic group that accounts for
only 6% of the population occupies 100% of the top military posts in the
Army and the Air Force. Ginbot 7 takes this opportunity to remind the world
that the major explanation of ethnic manipulation of politics in Ethiopia is
to be sought not in the character of the Ethiopian public that is the
subject of manipulation, but in the character of those [TPLF] who seek to
dominate the public through such manipulation, and the structures of
domination they have devised.

Ginbot 7 strongly believes that political instability in the Horn of Africa
is a threat to world peace, and the Horn of Africa will never be stable as
long as the largest country in the region [Ethiopia] is ruled by a ruthless
dictator whose political and economic policies alienate 94% of the
population from the national decision making process. The TPLF regime has
pushed the Ethiopian people far over the limit and has left them with only
one option; and that option is the devil's alternative. Ginbot 7 believes
that putting hope in the heart of the Ethiopian people and helping them
defeat the enemies of democracy is a very important step that takes the
world one step closer to peace, and most importantly, it is one big step in
the process of building the largest democracy in Africa.

 


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