In a recent video footage, Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn accuses the United States for engaging in regime change in Ethiopia. He asserts that the purpose of the Charites Law that bans local NGOs from receiving more 10 percent of their budget from foreign donors is to restrict the involvement of the United States from interfering in the internal affairs of the Ethiopian politics and preventing the US-based human rights groups from initiating a color revolution in Ethiopia.

His accusations are wholly baseless and his claims on the purpose of the Charites Law is a total lie and misleading. TPLF is running a client regime that safeguards the US infests in the Horn of Africa. For Its services, the US provides billions of dollars to the regime in the form of aid, loan and military assistance. Since the regime is serving the US interest in the region, there is no any ground for the US to initiate a color revolution in Ethiopia.

If the US wants to change the Ethiopian government, it can do it just by withholding the billions of dollars TPLF receives from the US government, World Bank and IMF. His statements on the Charites Law is also a total lie and misinformation.

The major reason why TPLF banned NGOS from receiving aid from foreign donors is due to its fear of the organizations in creating public awareness about human rights in the country. Meles Zenawi was very mad about the role of NGOS in financing and coordinating voters’ education during the 2005 general elections.

He retaliated them by enacting a draconian Charites Law that paralyzed human rights advocacy activities in Ethiopia. Since the law came into force in 2009, hundreds of NGOS which were engaged in the protection of the rights of women, children and disabled people were closed. These NGOs had nothing to do with any political involvement.

Hailemariam is exactly echoing what his lord, Meles Zenawi, was saying about the role of NGOs in Ethiopia. He is just acting as a parrot for serving the interest TPLF. Shame on him!