Ethiopia: Scholars Council of Amhara National Regional State – Open Letter to Her Excellency Ms. Geeta Pasi, the U.S. Ambassador to Ethiopia

Ethiopia: International Oromo Lawyers Association Calls on the United Nations Human Rights Commission to Investigate Extra-Judicial Killings, Illegal Arrests and Inhuman Treatment of Prisoners in Oromia, Ethiopia (18.05.2021)

Ethiopia: Oromo Legacy Leadership and Advocacy Association (OLLAA) – OLLAA is Outraged by Ethiopia’s Extrajudicial Killing of a Child: The International Community Must Act (19.05.2021)

Opinion: Abiy & Assefa’s hypocrisy in concern to external forces…

Countries with strong economy or other entities are in a campaign against Ethiopia with the [aim being] to decide how Ethiopians should live. The election will be decided by Ethiopia and Ethiopians only, not to fulfil the interest of external forces. Ethiopians have never fallen under any forces and will never fall” – Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali (16.05.2021)

We have one home and that is Ethiopia. We only have one country and that is Ethiopia. No external forces could ensure the stability of Ethiopia. It is we Ethiopians to stand firm and save our nation”Yeshiwas Assefa, Chairman of EZEMA party (18.05.2021)

These two quotes is recent and shows the heart of the government, the regime and the ones in-charge in Addis Ababa. It is not shocking, but someone cornered and wanting respect does this. The same party and gentlemen that needs outside support and financial benefits as well.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali and Ezema Chairman Yeshiwas Assefa is clear in the message. That isn’t shocking. They are both loyal to the same project and has no concern with outsiders looking in. These two wants the same powerful team run the nation and not being questioned about their misgivings.

This is the same government that is arresting, detaining, abducting and taking away political opponents. There is plenty, thousands of political prisoners in Ethiopia at this point. This is happening ahead of the elections, which has been postponed for so long. Therefore, the election is a (s)election and predetermined result for the ones in office. They are only creating the idea of an election, but not a free and fair one. Because, anyone who could challenge the PM or his Prosperity Party is lingering in jail or proclaimed as ‘Terrorist’.

This is why they wont have any interference or external forces. However, this government wants the help of International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. This government wants aid and donors to pay for all sorts of projects. The Prosperity Party is living on the dimes of these multi-national organizations and United Nations Organizations too. So, it is not like the foreign currency through trade is covering the expenses of the state. That is the first level of hypocrisy of these gentlemen.

Second and more dire at these days. Is that these two gentlemen would easily defend the Eritrean Defence Force (EDF) participating in the warfare in Tigray region and possibly elsewhere. The EZEMA have worried that the Ethiopians and Amhara Para-Military Group would be to weak, if the Eritreans would leave. Therefore, the hypocrisy is at all time high. As long as a Foreign Entity and soldiers are bashing through the Tigray region.

Prime Minister Abiy and Chairman Assefa is clearly jaded here. They have trouble with Western Powers and Donors adding strings to their purses. The Addis Ababa leadership wants to look sovereign. However, how sovereign are you when you need the Eritrean to take the battles internally for you? How great is Addis when Asmara is salvaging your hurt?

These two gentlemen needs to get their mind correct. The Prosperity Party and Ezema should just merge when they are on accord and working directly for the same thing. There is no difference, except for the name. This war in Tigray is exposing the sinister ploys and plots. That the state cannot forgive its own and cannot give way.

It is either Abiy’s way or its the path to destruction. That is the ways things are at this moment. Abiy should be careful with his words of being a sovereign. As long as his gently keeping company with Eritrean forces on the Ethiopian soil. His not sovereign as long as keeps playing these games. His the silent partner and accepting the ills of both his own soldiers and their allies. That is all happening on his watch. It is all on his account. Peace.

Ethiopia: Seb-Hidri civil society Tigray strongly condems the Ethnic cleansing, WAR CRIMES, CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY, INCLUDING GENOCIDE committed by the Amhara Regional State in Western Tigray (17.05.2021)

Ethiopia: Ministry of Foreign Affairs – Press statement on the unfair and unwarrented accusations leveld against Ethiopia (17.05.2021)

Ethiopia: Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) – OLA High Command – Press Release (15.05.2021)

Ethiopia: Security and Justice for Tigreans in Ethiopia (SJTE) – Reject the terrorist designation of the TPLF by Mr. Abiy Ahmed (14.05.2021)

Excellencies,

The Security and Justice for Tigreans in Ethiopia (SJTE) wishes to extend its appreciation for the attention the UNSC has given to the war in Tigray and to the atrocities that are being committed there. In our previous letters addressed to this respected body, we detailed the need for a strong and impactful action by the UNSC to stop the war which has become one of the most destructive.

The UNSC instead issued a weak statement that has emboldened Mr. Abiy Ahmed, the prime minister of Ethiopia, and Mr. Isaias Afewerki, the president of Eritrea, to continue their atrocities at a much greater intensity. Just a few days ago, Mr. Abiy asked the Ethiopian parliament to designate his political foes including the TPLF and the people of Tigray as terrorists and parliament complied almost instantly. But this designation has no merit whatsoever. Any government that worked with the TPLF as part of the former ruling coalition in Ethiopia knows that it led a government that fought terrorism and contributed to world peace immensely. The legacy of its effort in peace keeping is evident in the peace keeping missions around Africa today. The designation by Mr. Abiy is rather a sinister political maneuver to continue detaining, torturing, and killing Tigrayans at will. His evil action, like all actions he has taken in the past, is irresponsible, dangerous, and potentially eliminates any hope for a peaceful resolution of the war and will only escalate the ongoing violence, detention, extrajudicial killings, and extermination of the people of Tigray.

The people of Tigray and TPLF are peace-loving. They are not committing terrorism. They are rather the recipients of a dangerous and ugly form of terrorism – state-sponsored terrorism. The government of Mr. Abiy Ahmed in close collaboration with Mr. Isaias Afwerki of Eritrea has been committing widespread extrajudicial killings and massacres over the people of Tigray for six months. Tigrayans throughout Ethiopia also live in fear because they have been the targets of detention and disappearances. If anybody in Tigray or Ethiopia deserves terrorist designations, the governments of Mr. Abiy and Mr. Isaias should be the ones to receive such designation. The people of Tigray, TPLF, or any other organization in Tigray have not done anything that resembles terrorism. To us, the bogus proclamation by the expired Ethiopian parliament is meant to legitimize the governments’ terrorist acts on the people of Tigray and to take away Tigrayan-owned properties and continue incarcerating them without due process.

It behooves the UNSC to ponder whether a regional government elected by more than 80% of eligible Tigray voters can even be designated terrorist. Furthermore, the designation was made by an illegitimate parliament whose term expired seven months ago and does not have a single representative from Tigray.

The designation of Tigray’s TPLF and Oromia’s OLA as terrorist entities is a clear demonstration of Mr. Abiy’s intent to continue the path of violence to silence his political challengers.

Excellencies,

We appreciate the UNSC’s expression of serious concern about the increasingly dire situation in Tigray. But as you are aware, concern alone will not help the people of Tigray. The UNSC must take strong actions similar to that of the former Yugoslavia. It is our belief that the UNSC and the international community have the legal and moral obligation to take a swift action to save the people of Tigray from total annihilation and Ethiopia from total disintegration.

SJTE respectfully demands that the UNSC:

Rejects and condemns the designation of TPLF as a terrorist organization and pressures Mr. Abiy Ahmed to come to the negotiating table.

Takes required actions to remove the Eritrean Army and the Amhara militia from Tigray.

Pressures Mr. Abiy’s government to allow humanitarian aid reach the more than 5 million needy Tigrayans without any restriction.

Demands that Mr. Abiy releases the tens of thousands of Tigrayans detained in different parts of the country including in concentration camps for their political beliefs or for no reason at all.

SJTE urges the UNSC to be actively engaged in resolving this crisis that has the potential to spread throughout the horn of Africa. Ultimately, this crisis can only be solved if the UNSC takes a decisive action commensurate with the problem. Without such action, the crisis will deteriorate and may reach a point of no return, causing a complete collapse of the country and cascading detrimental effects which will destabilize the Horn of Africa and the Red Sea Region.

We thank you and SJTE remains ready to provide additional information. We also would appreciate an acknowledgement of the receipt of this letter.

Respectfully,

SJTE

CC: The European Union

The African Union

Secretary of State

UNSC member states

Mr. Jeffrey Feltman

Ethiopia: Getachew K. Reda – Statement on the current situation in Tigray (12.05.2021)

Dear friends, just to let you know that I am back, sort of. As Mark Twain once quipped, the news about my death/s (too many of them apparently!) was a bit exaggerated!
The history of Tigray is replete with stories of heroism and glory; of people steeped in the tradition of fighting injustice against a constellation of enemies often all at once; of steadfastness in the face of adversity. The people of Tigray have over the centuries faced disparate challenges-natural or man made- only to come out victorious. Giving up has never been part of the historical lexicon of Tigray. No matter how difficult the odds, Tigray has always ultimately prevailed over its adversaries, wherever they come from or whatever their size.
The people of Tigray have once again been subjected to all kinds of calamities in the hands of their enemies. In light of the enormity of the challenges we faced throughout history, Abiy and Isaias are, despite the untold misery and suffering they have caused on our people, mere midgets in the face of the Tigraian Resistance.
It is little wonder then that the anti-Tigray coalition of stone age enthusiasts is crumbling fast in the face of the Tigray resistance. Tigray is once again proving to be its enemies’ graveyard. Tigray will not just prevail against a constellation of reactionaries in the battlefield; but more importantly will rise from the ashes and rebuild itself on solid foundations and soon!

Ethiopia: The Global Society of Tigray Scholars and Professionals (GSTS) letter to the President of G-7 Leaders’ Summit Prime Minister Boris Johnson – Abiy Ahmed Ali is a Force of Instability and Disintegration (11.05.2021)