Feel sorry for Ethiopia a country that is unfortunate to have plenty of mercenaries who make a living out of its misery and misfortune. Most of its wars are fought and planned by mercenaries and for quite sometime mercenaries have been writing most of its propaganda. Yes, the country has mercenary writers with real names to spearhead and direct the propaganda of its ghostwriters.

I am talking about the mercenary writers such as the Henzes, the Gilkes and the Erlichs, writers who have made carriers because Ethiopia is a country of perpetual despondency. As long as Ethiopia remains unlucky with its leaders, these armchair mercenaries will continue to make a handsome living.

What is peculiar about the three propaganda mercenaries mentioned above is that also that as long as it is anti-Eritrean, no matter what kind of government there is in Ethiopia, they are always there to dance to the tune that is being played out of Finfinie (the Oromo name for Addis).

The three of them were chanting the chorus of the Monarchists, then they echoed the songs of the Commies, and now they are boogying to the music of the Woyanes. In short, since they have no credibility to lose they have been quick to shamelessly jump into the propaganda bandwagon of whosoever is in power in Finfinie. Elrich was quick to dance June 1998, Henze has been at it for the whole stretch and Gilkes shows pops up to "analyse" as he feels Ethiopia is making advance only to put his tail between his legs when the truth comes out.

Erlich is a historian by profession; Henze is a professional spy, as for the third, Gilkes, we really don't know. We know he masquerades as a journalist. The BBC likes to call him, every time he makes an appearance, a "regional analyst". But one thing is certain; he is not your typical "analyst", an analyst that analyses based on facts. This guy's analysis of situations in the Horn of Africa had always been consistently wrong, God knows for the past two decades. Why in the world the BBC guys give him airtime is beyond one's imagination.

There is no doubt the BBC is one of the most, if not the only, credible news organization in the world, but if it keeps giving airtime to Gilkes, then definitely people in the Horn will start to lose faith in the BBC. Of course there is one way the BBC can redeem itself. It could begin to introduce Gilkes as an "Ethiopian mercenary propagandist", that is all what he is. But it should never parade him as a "regional analyst" for he ain't one.

His latest piece "Ethiopia's war Strategy" that was featured by the BBC on May 15, 2000 is another case in point. Seyoum and the Shilu cannot hope to propagandize better than him. He is indeed a faithful son-in-law. Don't worry, I will not waste Dehaiers' time in exposing his lies one by one.

What we should know is this though: the strategy-map he has in his hand, the one the Woyane passed to him, the map that says "Woyane will liberate Zalambessa after their army travels all the way from Mai-lam to Senafe" shows the guy is a "bonehead". Not only is he ignorant of the area, the terrain, and the military situation on the ground, he also knows nothing of what he is talking about. He is just making a fool of himself.

Last month, again using the BBC, he tried to make a "paper" out of the "non-paper" Seyoum passed to him, and now he is trying to make Army Generals out of the Drgonga bandits. So much for a BBC "regional analyst". We will read what he has to say as he learns the Drgogna army he is serving has melted like butter in face of heat. The recent Ethiopian attempt to invade Eritrea, like all the ones in the past, will be crushed and as usual, Gilkes and his fellow mercenary analysts will be in the wrong.