Ethiopia: Could more state of Emergency help the TPLF?

By Rundassa Asheetee Hundee

October 10, 2016

The TPLF has passed so many state of emergencies since 1995 and once again, it’s puppet prime minister sat in-front of his fellow puppets and talked about the foreign powers who are destabilizing the Tigre colonized empire and promised to deal with the Oromo protest shortly. He said “I want to talk to you about one big issue that have collided in our country, which is the destruction of properties”.

As in the past, the Tigreans have chastised their puppet slave that he will face great consequences for failing to protect Azeeb Mesfin and Alamudin’s colonial properties in Oromia. While it is understandable that the Tigreans have all the reason to get mad at their puppet ministers and killer agents, there is nothing they can do more than what they have already done thus far. Since the Oromo protest started, they have dispatched thousands of Agazii killers and double of that number of stand ready army to support the forces that are spread all over Oromia’s villages.

To supplement this effort, the TPLF have dispatched thousands of what it called the Federal riot-law enforcement forces and spying groups that roamed all over Oromia and the Amhara region. All this said and done, however, the colonizing force is not able to restore its colonial order any more. This is because the problem of TPLF goes beyond what they believe to be the reason of the protest.

First, the people of the empire don’t have faith in the law and justice system written by the TPLF because it doesn’t serve everyone equally. Although the fundamental tenet of the law put on paper by the TPLF might be acceptable, that legal system only protects the entitled Tigreans and their puppets, not the mass. For example, verdicts had been passed on tens of thousands of Oromians by the TPLF “cadre judges” and many of the jailed died in prisons after suffering from torture and poisoning.

Second, the TPLF government puppets talked about elections and peaceful means of struggle, but they took away all these rights by force and won all the elections for 25 years. That means, it is simply unfair to ask the population to respect the law even when they do not agree with the outcomes of the TPLF law.

Third, it is true that there can be no excuse for the murder, arson, theft, and vandalism by anyone. However, burning down the properties which the “the government” robbed from the people is the same as passing down the same verdict that the TPLF passed down on the population. Now, this being the case however, when the people took back their land, the TPLF’s particular concern, among other things, becomes about the properties that were burned down. Meantime, the lives they take on daily basis nothing compared to their financial losses. How convenient? Any way, it is more logical to think that if TPLF’s wanton destruction of the Oromo families lives, it can make sense to the Tigreans, every action that the Oromo people are taking must be a legitimate expression of their outrage with the TPLF injustice. That’s why no TPLF rationalization, no matter how heartfelt, no matter how eloquent, can make sense to the Oromo people.

Fourth, the Oromo people have seen gruesome images of murdering and cruel treatments that they will never forget. Some were horrifying almost beyond belief. Beyond that, there are other ugly acts that can never be erased out of Oromo memories. Among the many stories out which one sticks in my mind, is the photo of a young Oromo boy whose head is split into two with gun butt used by the Agazii soldiers in Ambo. Others are the savagely beaten women, old or young Oromo protesters at every corner of Oromia. This is truth which the puppet prime minister who blames the imaged foreign power’s destruction deny. What is true is that people who are now fighting the Agazii army are those who had been watching these images on television and saw the beating and the killings.

Fifth, there is now a widespread agreement among economists that the economic growth we’ve been told for 25 years is nothing but the story of the prosperity of the few. All the preaching and propagandas we’ve been told was the voices of the investors who felt secured and prevailed over poverty. However, all these propagandas never aligned with the reality on the ground. In addition to the lack of civil liberties and political representations in empire Ethiopia, the absence of fair and equitable institutions reversed the gains people made under the communist dictatorship led by Mangistu H. Ayaanaa. A very strong determining effect on aggregate incomes of the population is TPLF’s ability to revise the rules of the game in the direction it wants to. The fact that the entire empire belonged to the TPLF has led to a tendency that the TPLF/EPRDF members have exclusive right to land just like the European colonial forces, while TPLF’s overly ambitious agenda of “governance” aimed at building the “EMPIRE” with the help of the unrepresentative, ignorant and corrupt PDOs didn’t lead to the strengthening of the empire that the Tigreans now love more than anybody.

Sixth, the fact that the judiciary system was controlled by the TPLF, just like many other institutions, reduced the Oromo people to “second citizen” in their own country.

Now the TPLF bosses talk about listening to the people and reform the system, not understanding the fact that only the removal of the TPLF is what will bring true reform. To overcome the apparent inefficacies created by the TPLF required the wave of violence which the Tigre team is dealing with today. After all, reforms were made this way since the birth of empire Ethiopia, and the TPLF has to face violence for reform to come. What this means is that changing policies is not going to be effective to stop the violence. In fact, if I was part of the TPLF team, I would tell them to leave Oromia alone and stick to Minilik’s palace and enjoy life for three more years. After that retire in America and enjoy the billions of dollars saved overseas.

#OromoRevolution On what was called “Declaration of Emergency” in#Ethiopia:
By Henok G. Gabisa

1 – Arrests, brutal crackdown has been taking place already. What will this state of emergency change ?

The country has already been under the same exact situation of state of emergency. Since the first protest broke out in Ginchi town, the people have endured all kinds of governmental brutality with impunity. For all intents and purposes, Oromia fell under the rule of the command post as of December of 2015 (see EBC report on December 15 or 16 where Getachew Reda and the PM HMD vowed for “merciless and definitive” action/measure against the protesters). The same statement was made by HMD in regard to the Amhara protest a month ago. So, that means, the country is already in exact similar situation with state of emergency. No official of the regime has ever been investigated and prosecuted for the killings of hundreds and thousands of mass arrests in the past months.

If there is anything the declaration of the state of emergency tells us, it is a sinister move thought to be used as a legal cover by the regime to continue to exculpate or exonerate itself from mass murders, mass arrests, media blackout and all other vengeful actions it is taking against the public. It is just a final attempt to legalize and legitimize all that is to come.

It has to be noted that it is just legal and constitutional under Ethiopian legal system (Article 93 of the Constitution ) to kill during state of emergency. In Ethiopia, right to life is among lists of derogable rights contrary to the international human rights treaty obligations where observance of right to life should remain intact in any kind of emergency situation. Not that Ethiopia has ever observed its international duty, now we are witnessing an all-out war situation declared against the citizens.

It has to be noted that the declaration of emergency is yet to be published. This means, the regime will have an unaccountably and extremely broad margin of military actions to engage in a war-like battles against the public. That will be another self-caused recipe for the end of the regime.

2 – Do you see it more like a domestic or foreign oriented message?

I see it like a message desired to be conveyed to the foreigners that the regime is still in control, while in fact, the irony of the declaration is a deep cut that demystified the country is in fact unstable, volatile and more likely to explode contrary to the invented narrative built over the last decades.

3 – Do you see any room for dialogue in this crisis ?

I think the room for dialogue is closed. That ship has already sailed with the#Oromomassacre at #Irreechaa last week that was caused by military’s firing at the crowed at the sacred event and stampede that followed as a result. Nobody expected the regime goes that low. It proved to the people that the regime’s political psychology is hell bent on winning the battle by deploying the military at any expense, even though we can’t find an example anywhere in the world where people lost a battle to tyranny and dictatorship despite the journey it takes to see freedom and democracy desired in life.

Escalation to respond to TPLF “State of Emergency”
Issues:

People killed, arrested, abused, expatriated, marginalized, displaced, embezzled, and colonized by TPLF.
People have a choice of political and freedom fighter parties. TPLF denied people to respect people’s choice but painted those as anti-peace falsely.
People rejected TPLF.
Now TPLF announced “state of emergency” to further subdued people.
Lessons:

Some freedom fighters including OLF, ONLF were isolated, surrounded and damaged by TPLF.
Implication: TPLF can use to do the same on Oromo military and police. So, they should fight now against TPLF.

TPLF denied independent investigation.
TPLF undertook genocide at South, Ogden and, now, on Oromo. This can call for Oromo military and police must do the same on Tigree civilians.
Abroad:

Ask and get financial, materials, and medical facilities from developed nation to support victims of TPLF. (task force)
Ask sanctions against list of TPLF leaders.
Locally:

Warning before extensive and intensive measures
Ask with clear message other states including Amhara, Tigree to withdraw military forces from entering Oromia and supporting TPLF. Failure to compel lead to attack on their civilians.
Ask OPDO to peacefully resign and mix with their Oromo community. Doing so, forgive them!
Continues process
Help Oromo military and police to fight TPLF and their agents. There shouldn’t be conflict of interest between ABO, and OPDO’s forces to protect Oromo from genocide, and build consensus amongst Oromo.
Oromo military and police should announce release of jailed political parties and others. No one has a right to damage Oromo illegally.
Actionable targets practically or trigger on
TPLF and their relatives including intrusion into Tigray, Mekele, civilian Tigree
PM HD and his nearest relatives
Tigree in the military force
Tigree resources everywhere
Break bridge, dig road, railways beyond easily reparable
Mobilize to attack across all over: North, East, South, West including in road closure and destruction of targeted properties at once.
Two objectives:

TPLF must now resign and live peacefully before escalation. Power should be transferred to people’s choice. Otherwise,
TPLF and their resources must be abolished.