Why should the removal of one regime from power lead to an ethnic conflict in Ethiopia?
Abay Tsehaye, a top TPLF official, draws parallels between Ethiopia and Rwanda, among others, and says Ethiopia may never become one country if an ethnic conflict is started (following the downfall of TPLF). He said Rwanda re-emerged as one country because Rwanda has only two ethnic groups - Hutus and Tutsis - and after a painful journey, the Rwanda people managed to reconcile and restore a country that was almost gone for ever. In the case of Ethiopia, he said with an air of certainty, it is totally different as the Ethiopia has over 80 ethnic groups, and once an ethnic conflict is started, it may never stop, thus ending Ethiopia as one country.
Now the question is why should a country and people be relegated to ethnic conflict because the people decided to remove the TPLF regime for a better governance?
Abay speaks as if the people of Tigrai are hostage to TPLF and TPLF will never hesitate to use the people of Tigrai as a TOOL to put down a nationwide uprising against TPLF. Are the people of Tigrai the slaves of TPLF? Will the people of Tigrai die for TPLF than live for Ethiopia? Time will answer the questions.
But in the meantime, Ethiopian forces of unity - the emerging forces of Amahra, Oromo and the rest of the country - should take a serious note of Abay's statement and make it clear to international organizations like the UN Security Council, EU, ICC, AU and Genocide Watch that TPLF officials are harping on 'genocide' because the Ethiopian people are seeking a better governance than the bestial rule by TPLF.
In clear words, TPLF officials are saying the price of removing TPLF from power would be to throw Ethiopia into an ethnic conflict that would make the Rwanda genocide a child's play.
In 2005 elections, when EPRDF lost the election but declared a state of emergency and reversed the poll's outcome, the late Prime Minister Meles Zenawi also brought up the case of Rwanda, and accused the multi-ethnic pro-democracy Kinijit (CUD) leaders of fomenting genocide. Now the question is why should a country and people be relegated to ethnic conflict because the people decided to remove the regime for a better governance?
Abay speaks as if the people of Tigrai are hostage to TPLF and TPLF will use the people to pit them against the rest of the Ethiopian people.