Ethiopia: The Ogaden elections is a farce

There is a postponed election being held in the Ogaden or the Somali State of Ethiopia. That was postponed, as some parts of the Republic didn’t hold polls during the General Elections 21^st June 2021. This was postponed to the 30^th September 2021 for security reasons.

In this up-coming elections there is a lack of proper opposition parties participating. This being the Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) who said on the 17^th September 2021 that they are boycotting it. Yesterday on the 25^th September 2021 there was 6 leaders arrested in the region alone.

Before the ONLF boycotted the elections. Other parties has done the same, this being government friendly opposition like EZEMA. While Freedom and Equality Party (NEPA) has also boycotted it as well.

When these parties has all withdrawn from the polls. Know that the Prosperity Party and Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali will get his allies and “yes-men” elected. It is just another round of selection and an in-sincere polls, which will never reflect the will of the region either. As their parties and representatives aren’t elected or even on the ballots.

This is just another round of (s)election from the PP and the regime of Addis Ababa. The “Medemer” terror is prolonged and they are getting “strength”. Especially, since all regions have massive PP representatives and nearly no opposition. Since they are either barred from campaigning, detained or disallowed.

In Ogaden the parties themselves isn’t participating, because they know the game of the state. ONLF and the others isn’t involved. You just know the end-game and results before the polls are even happening. There is no need to have it even and it’s just a mere waste of time.

If the PP and PM was seeking true legitimacy and real popularity. They wouldn’t have made this possible or been as insincere as this. However, that is how the regime is consolidating power and it’s not funny. It is just a disgrace and the general public are the ones that are suffering. Petty politics from PP and it shows. Peace.

Ethiopia: Abiy is wrecking the economy [and the nation as well]

“Ratings agency S&P Global cut Ethiopia’s sovereign rating to ‘CCC+’ from ‘B-‘ on Friday, citing heightened political instability and delays to debt restructuring” (Street Insider – ‘S&P pushes Ethiopia’s ratings into junk territory on delayed debt restructuring’ 24.09.2021).

It’s been years upon year where the financial forecasts and the economy of Addis Ababa have been steaming ahead. The one republic and nation in the Horn of Africa, which has always looked golden. There haven’t been a year or a report, which haven’t been positive. So, within a three year span in power, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali and his allies in the Prosperity Party is destroying this.

The Prime Minister has already caused a famine, weaponized humanitarian operations in the republic and ordered a war to consolidate all power. The PM have ordered his political enemies to their death or detained. There is no middle-ground and this sort of society isn’t bringing prosperity or stability. Anyone can at any time become an enemy and depending on how paranoid the PM is. If he gets total paranoia. The closest allies and leaders might end up like the enemies who are behind bars already.

This is combination of the freezing accounts of Tigrayan citizens, closure of businesses and profiling is also causing damage of the economy. As much as the state is becoming sanctioned and targeted by the United States of America. There is no wiggle-room and trust in the ruling regime.

The Prime Minister is now destroying the economy to a level in which investments have gone from the graded as B- which can be described as “highly speculative”. The PM has moved the Republic to grade of the CCC , which means that the economy is “extremely speculative”. For an investor this means there is a higher risk for defaulting on loans and therefore, deemed as “junk”. This means the state isn’t trustworthy and it is huge risk to invest there.That is not the sort of financial foresight any head of state wants for their republic. However, that is what Abiy has succeeded in doing.

The PM has now officially gone to the lowest level, However, the PM and PP has already depleted and destroyed the prospects of it’s economy with this internal war. It is costly to import weapons, military technology and ammunition. The costs are not only on the battlefield, but on the spreadsheet. This costs money and empty coffers. At one point the bank-accounts are scrapped and the state doesn’t have enough revenue to cover for re-occurring debt.

Abiy has to go to creditors and get the debt restructured. He has to prove he can make a plan to fix the budget and add revenue to the state. Because, at the moment the economy is bleeding. Just like the PM is doing in several of the state’s as well. There is so many people who are struggling in Oromia, Amhara, Afar and in Tigray. There are starvation, lack of basic commodities, medicines and water/electricity. Therefore, citizens are already struggling because of the war and now the state will struggle financially as well.

It is not like the PM has lots of friends to cover his debts and restructuring of it. This will not be easier when the government is sanctioned and that will make it even worse. The PM and PP has failed the republic and the nation itself. Not only the selfish war for own personal power, but risking so many lives to gain that. Therefore, long after Abiy is out of power. These efforts and usage of power will haunt the halls of power. Because, the state will has to rebuild and restructure itself to be a viable entity, which it clearly isn’t at this point. That is why it’s deemed as “junk” and the violations of human rights in combination with crimes against humanity will have to be addressed as well. It is all connected and the PM cannot run away from all the pain he has ordered on his citizens. Peace.

Ethiopia: The Government of the National Regional State of Tigray – Press Statement on Humanitarian aid trucks to Tigray (22.09.2021)

Ethiopia: Ministry of Finance – Press Release (22.09.2021)

Ethiopia: The Global Society of Tigray Scholars (GSTS) – Open Letter to Congresswoman Karen Bass (19.09.2021)

Ethiopia: Catholic Eparchy Adigrat-Tigray – Bishop’s Urgent Call for Allowing Humanitarian Resources Access and Mobilize Humanitarian Aid Resources, and for Peaceful Intervention to End the War (03.09.2021)

Ethiopia: The Government of the National Regional State of Tigrai – Statement by the Governmetn of Tigray on President Biden’s Executive Order on the crisis in Ethiopia (18.09.2021)

National Council of Eritrean Americans (NCEA-East): An ill-advised White House action tries to throw terrorist group a lifeline (17.09.2021)

Ethiopia: Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali – An Open Letter to President Joseph R. Biden Jr. (17.09.2021)

Ethiopia: Biden’s executive order strikes at the heart of Abiy’s regime

Today’s revelation of Executive Order from the U.S. President Joe Biden is a clear message. The U.S. Treasury Department have until now only sanctioned and targeted one Eritrean General. Now, they are furthering the scope, and this will hit the Prosperity Party hard and all of its allies. This means that the U.S. is sanctioning not only one man, but the whole system who is co-operating and ensuring the warfare in Ethiopia.

These sanctions target directly anyone who has been involved or participated in the conflict since 1^st November 2020. All military leaders, civil leadership and any entity who has participated in it. That is how broad this is and it means all the parts of the Tripartite Alliance is now hit by this.

What this order does is clearly making it illegal to interact, trade or even co-operate with the leadership, government and armies, which is participating in the conflict. That is a harsh and brutal sanction. It has taken months to happen but shows what sort of measures the Biden Administration takes.

For Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali and Eritrean President Isaias Afewerki this must be a hard blow. Especially for Abiy who was for a short time a darling of the West and now the biggest power of that has sanctioned him. President Afewerki isn’t new to this, but his results have come home to roost. There is no denying in that.

These sanctions will cost and any foreign power conspiring with these forces will now be in trouble with U.S. Treasury and in general. Because, this will stifle their operations and possibly close some avenues. As the companies, the exporters and the ones selling military equipment to the conflict. Don’t want to have trouble with Washington D.C. or the Biden Administration in general.

If there is ever a diplomatic blow or a twist that hurts someone. This is the biggest defeat for any state at this moment. When the United States sanctions you. That means businesses will be frozen, accounts will be closed, and everyone involved will be touched by this. Not that the leadership of Addis Ababa or Asmara is visiting the United States anytime soon. Still, this will affect their movement and their possibilities. This is practically making both parties a pariah state and other nations might follow suit. The European Union or others might do the same thing.

That’s why this is the biggest hurdle and shows that paying expensive lobbyist in America hasn’t paid off for Abiy. He has wasted public funds and used PR with no luck. The tides have turned and in the end. The conflict and the reporting on it has lost ground. His maybe able to trick his followers and the ones in association with him. However, the US is not being an ally in this. That says it all and there will be outrage from both Ethiopia and Eritrea. They have already targeted US envoys and others(!). These voices will grow even stronger.

This is the most powerful statement the US President could have, because the UN Security Council would be blocked by the Russians or the Chinese in this matter. Therefore, the US President did what he could do and now the ball is in the court of Abiy and Afewerki. Expect their ministries to write scathing remarks and certainly not hold back. Peace.