Opinion: Ethiopia have a dream of the Red Sea

Today, the Minister of Foreign Affairs Dina Mufti stressed today that Ethiopia is planning to build a military base by the red sea. Since there are several nations who are interested in controlling the region.

In 2018 the Addis Ababa government planned to relaunch a Navy. The landlocked nation planned to have vessels and ships on the ocean fighting wars at sea. However, there has happened a lot since then.

The Prosperity Party, the Federal Government of Ethiopia have gotten closer and is more tied together with Eritrea. The government of Eritrea is already very invested in the conflicts inside Ethiopia. Their armies are fighting the civil wars of Ethiopia. So, in this regard, the relations between leaders are close too. They are listening to each other and doing each others bidding.

So, Addis Ababa would be served well to have a port or a navy base in Eritrea. As it would cost less than having it in Djibouti. Where it is already crowded with American and Chinese bases. In Somalia there been deals of ports and trading points, but not of directly warfare. Secondly, the navy base would be either towards the Indian Ocean or the Gulf of Aden and not the Red Sea.

That would be easier to achieve with a brother who is fighting wars together with. The burning of Oromia and Tigray is already a collective run enterprise. So, the Ethio-Eritrean partnership is already paying off and their enemies fought together. Now they can also expand and get to conquer new terrain. This time show itself as a viable force on the sea.

In early May 2021, the Chief of Staff Gen. Berhanu Jula launched the logo and uniform of the newly created navy. Now, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in June is stating the plans of navy base. The movement shows that they are entail to further associate itself with Eritrea and use their coastal land to build this. As it seems less feasible to build it in Somalia at this current point of time.

It is really showing blind ambitions by the leadership of Addis Ababa. That they are willing to use money, power and efforts to build a navy now. At a time it is busy with internal conflicts. Where millions are hurt, starving and lacking basic commodities. The government together with allies are scheming to build a vessels and a navy base elsewhere. They are putting the trust in Asmara and others to handle it with care.

The Ethiopian leadership is clearly aiming big. However, that isn’t new, as it wasn’t long ago. The Prime Minister promised technology to control “rain” and where it would “drizzle water” from the sky. So, this wouldn’t be as epic, but still a large enterprise. Which will cost fortunes and could easily bankrupt anyone.

The Prosperity Party clearly see no grounds or no reasons to stop their expansions. This being done without any precautions and just on a whim. While they still have to tackle the internal bloodshed, lack of foreign support and a more hostile neighbourhood. That’s because the leaders of the Ethio-Eritrean alliance is willing to let people die in-front of their eyes. The leadership is willing to let their own die without any consequence.

The idea of taking the red sea only shows the imperial drive of the alliance and their associates. They are willing to bury their own and bash itself in glory elsewhere. That’s the tragedy here.

This vessel shouldn’t leave port, but don’t be shocked if does. The Ethiopian government already have a logo and uniform made for it. That they had without even having a place to set sail. Peace.

Ethiopia: Embassy of the State of Eritrea to the United States of America – Press Statement (02.06.2021)

Ethiopia: Amara Network – List of Abiy’s Top Military Officers during the conflict of Tigray (01.06.2021)

Ethiopia: Security and Justice for Tigreans in Ethiopia (SJTE) letter to World Bank President Malpass – Re: Halt financial support to the government of Ethiopia which is committing genocide (01.06.2021)

Ethiopia: Security and Justice for Tigreans in Ethiopia (SJTE) letter to President Biden – Re: Eritrean and Amhara forces deliberately disrupting farming operations throughout Tigray, Ethiopia (01.06.2021)

Ethiopia: WFP reaches over 1 million people with emergency food assistance in Tigray (01.06.2021)

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has provided emergency food assistance to 1 million people since starting distributions in Northwestern and Southern zones of Tigray region in March.

MEK’ELE, Ethiopia, June 1, 2021 – Aster Beyene, a 43-year-old mother of seven, who lost both her home and crops two months ago to conflict, became the 1 millionth person to collect wheat, split peas and vegetable oil from WFP on Monday.

“Up until now I have relied on what little food I can get from my neighbours. At least now we have some relief from the hunger we have been suffering,” said Aster from Adi Millen, a remote rural village 50 kilometres from Shire in Northwestern zone. WFP provided food to the 4,500 villagers, bringing the first round of food distributions – which will be carried out every six weeks in Tigray – to a close.

“I am glad that WFP was able to bring the food to us here in Adi Millen, where we are far and cut off from many towns and markets,” Aster added.

  • WFP is responsible for emergency food assistance across Northwestern and Southern zones of Tigray and will scale-up operations to reach 2.1 million people in need of food assistance across these operational areas. Since April, it has managed to access all 13 woredas (districts) of Northwestern and assisted 885,000 people. In addition, WFP distributions began at the end of March in three woredas of Southern zone where 168,000 people have so far received WFP emergency food, bringing the total to 1.05 million people. In March, before WFP was assigned Northwestern and Southern zones, WFP had assisted 33,000 people in Eastern zone.
  • This week, WFP kicked off a second six-week round of emergency food assistance, starting in Korem and Ofla, two of five new woredas in Southern zone recently added to WFP’s operational areas. Within the first few days of operations, WFP expects to assist about 80,000 people of the nearly 200,000 target population.
  • In addition, WFP leads the emergency nutrition response across all Tigray with partners and is scaling up to reach people in as many as 70 woredas. Access, especially in rural areas, remains the primary challenge. WFP has delivered 315,000 emergency nutrition rations to children and women since February in 31 woredas. In May, WFP reached almost 100,000 children and pregnant or nursing women in all zones except for Western.
  • As well as supporting the overall response, WFP has delivered 40,000 metric tons of food for the Government and partners to Tigray and has transported 22,000 metric tons for National Disaster Risk Management Commission (NDRMC) within the region.
  • A total of 5.2 million people, 91 percent of Tigray’s population, need emergency food assistance due to conflict since last November.
  • Ahead of the results of a new Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) study of levels of hunger across Tigray, WFP is highly concerned at the number of people we see in need of nutrition support and emergency food assistance and is doing all it can to reach 2.1 million people in need in the coming months.
  • However, WFP needs US$203 million to continue to scale up its response in Tigray to save lives and livelihoods through to the end of the year.

Ethiopia: Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) – Eritrean Soldiers are Brutally Persecuting Civilians in Abay Chomen Region of West Oromia (30.05.2021)

Ethiopia: The Global Society of Tigray Scholars (GSTS) – A Call for Urgent Intervention to Stop Deliberate Starvation of Millions to Cause Mass Deah and Enduring Deprivation in Tigray (28.05.2021)

On this day in 1991: The EPRDF ended the ‘Red Terror’ – 30 years later, the Republic is under the ‘Medemer Terror’

In early 1991, the EPRDF, a Tigrean-led coalition of rebel organizations under the leadership of Meles Zenawi, began to achieve real successes and defeated the Ethiopian army, forcing military dictator Haile Mariam Mengistu to flee the country. On May 28, 1991, in the midst of cease-fire talks, EPRDF tanks entered Addis Ababa virtually unopposed. Soon after, a transition government was formed, with Meles Zenawi as its president. In July, a new democratic constitution was drafted, and Eritrean independence was acknowledged without incident” (History.com – ‘Ethiopian capital falls to rebels, ending 17 years of Marxist rule’ 26.05.2020).

On the 28th May 1991 was the end of the Red Terror and the new government was ushered in with the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF). Who ended a war and ended 17 years of the Derg regime in Addis Ababa. Usually, through the Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Defence Force (EPRDF) who made a new constitution and a settlement for the government.

This is why we should be worried about the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia (FDRE) and the current day leadership. Who has made the previous leadership and one of the leading parties in the liberation from one dictator. Has created another dictator and warlord. Who is now ushering in his ‘Medemer Terror’.

The Prosperity Party and Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali is using the same constitution and powers given to them by the former liberators to usher in the same terror it was supposed to free the public. The same group of people and region is under fire, the Tigray is the target and the party who was leading the rebellious coalition is back to guerrilla warfare. That’s the tragedy here.

The republic have stagnated and gone back to civil war mode. The state has gone to target it’s own citizens like under the Derg times. Now it is ‘Medemer Terror’. It is the era of the Mad King and progressive” dictator. Abiy is the warlord and he will not generate peace in the near for-see-able future. Because, he has open up a can of worms and now he cannot put them back in the can.

All of the policies, use of armed personnel on unarmed civilians, using the scorched earth tactic and starvation as a method. Using arbitrary arrests, political detentions and extra judicial killings. There is so much ill in society and there is no signs of positive steps. This a terror and a horrific time in Ethiopia.

The Derg was its own ill and horrific past, but this generation is now living through their own. The EPRDF and TPLF did their oppressive actions. The EPRDF have their crimes and violations on the citizens during their reign. However, Abiy has been able to kill, destroy and deplete society to another level. He has overseen so many massacres, usage of arrests and politically prosecute his enemies. Therefore, the EPDRF constitution and it’s laws are now used not only on the TPLF who co-founded it, but everyone else who has lived through this era.

The current PP and AAA have no trouble unleashing the dragons, the mother of guns and usage of force, which only cause harm and scorn people for decades to come. When people will remember this time and recollect it, it won’t be with fondness or admiration, but more with heartache and sorrow. As everyone will know about the massacres, the rapes, the starvation and the use of military forces towards civilians. That’s in the Tigray region, but also elsewhere.

As this regime is using military might across the republic. The state is using the police and the authorities to keep the general public in shackles. Keep the opposition and dissidents behind bars. They are keeping or getting rid of anyone who opposes it. This sort of arrangement can only be associated with terror. It is no hope and no direct golden future. Only more devastation and destruction.

The Medemer Terror and its culprits will go down in history. Just like the men who was in-charge of the Red Terror. Abiy might have to flee to Yayah Jammeh and get shelter in Equatorial Guinea. If not ask for help in Harare like Hailemariam Mengistu.

Today isn’t a day to celebrate. It isn’t a day to bash in glory of the past. No, history is repeating itself and the damage is happening now. The state and it’s allies are killing, arresting and hurting civilians as we speak. There is no hope for safe-haven or security. Freedom, justice and liberty is only fancy words. Just like the drop-lets of sovereignty, rule of law, free and fair elections. We all know that will not happen with this regime in-charge.

This Prime Minister wouldn’t care about or even try to have open and credible elections. He just want to ensure by any means, that his Prosperity Party and his “Yes-Men” will be (s)elected in the up-coming election. This party and these “honourable” individuals rather see their enemies suffer, tortured and even die. As long as they are in power and rules supreme. They will throw the book at you. Use all lies and deceptions. They will ensure their “right” even when everyone knows they are wrong.

We are seeing the ‘Medemer Terror’ and we have to hope that it will end. We got to hope someone can make it stop. That someone has the ability and the character to make it end. As there is guerrilla war, state of emergency and command post activities across the Republic. There is all sort of ill behaviour and there is no end in sight. There’s now sort of finalization or possible ending chapter. The lives are taken and we are supposed to move on. People are killed, people are arrested and people are violated by state officers. Still, they promise that the republic will prevail, but to what end? Who is it prevailing for?

It is not prevailing for the Ogaden, Afar, Oromia or Tigray. Maybe it’s prevailing for Amhara and Finfinne. Though that is margin of error and God knows, if they will find enemies there too. The ‘Medemer Terror’ will haunt us and generations will be shocked that we let it happen. Peace.

Ethiopia: UN condemns the arbitrary and brutal arrest of at least 200 IDPs in military-led raids in Shire town (Tigray Region) – (27.05.2021)

The Humanitarian Coordinator in Ethiopia, Dr. Catherine Sozi, condemns the arbitrary arrest, beatings and other forms of ill-treatment of more than 200 people by soldiers, which occurred during military raids of IDP settings – Tsehaye (hosting some 8,000 IDPs) and Adi Wonfito (hosting some 4,000 IDPs) – in Shire town in the Tigray region during the night of 24 May 2021.

“International humanitarian and human rights law strictly prohibit the arbitrary arrest and ill-treatment of any person”, Dr. Sozi said, calling on the immediate release of all those who have been arbitrarily arrested. “Serious violations of international humanitarian and human rights law must be promptly investigated, and the perpetrators brought to justice”, she underlined. “In addition, anyone who is arrested on criminal charges must be afforded judicial guarantees in line with international law.”

“We reiterate our calls on all parties to the conflict to adhere to human rights and humanitarian law principles, including those relating to IDPs”, Dr. Sozi emphasised.

She added that the United Nations and its humanitarian partners urge enhanced efforts to protect the civilian population. “We are ready to engage with military commanders on ensuring the protection of civilians through regular dialogue and implementation of good practice.”