Opinion: Beyene Petros is the proof that even professors isn’t always that smart…

It is confusing to call for a ceasefire in the absence of war” (…) “The call for ceasefire indicates that TPLF is still fighting and that the government is at war in Tigray region” (…) “It is in the process of taking measures on illegal groups and hunting them down” – Professor Beyene Petros, President of the Ethiopian Social Democratic Party (ESDP) and Deputy Director of the Institute for Policy Studies, Addis Standard & Ethiopian Press Agency (EPA), 21.05.2021).

Well, this Tigray conflict is really showing the sinister and evil sign of men. Professor Beyene Petros is no difference. He is now an ally of the administration in Addis Ababa. Another token supporter and a mouth-piece for them. I don’t know for what reason, but he got to get something for his words and actions. People tend to do these things for a reason and not without any sort of positive package coming their way.

It is really insane that a man is saying there is no warfare in the Tigray Region. When it’s not long ago. When the Prime Minister Ahmed Ali Abiy said the government was fighting on 8 fronts. The Ethiopian National Defence Force (ENDF), Eritrean Defence Force (EDF) and Amhara Para-Military Group “Fano” was involved in fighting the Tigray Defence Force (TDF). Alas, we are just supposed to forget that.

Also, there is a telling. That he says this. As there are so many who are starving, internally displaced, exiled and massacred. There are so many indications of war and this man is bluntly saying in his place of peace. That the war doesn’t exists.

This is outrageous and obnoxious that someone can utter these words. As the warfare is persisting to this day. That has been happening on the steady since early November 2020. The deaths, murders, the victims and the innocent who has died, because of the conflict.

Still, the old professor is saying it is inactive. How disgraceful isn’t that to all the folks who has died? To all the people who has suffered, who are suffering and who are lingering on the edge of starvation. What redeeming factor does the Professor have for them?

Well, he got none and surely his pay-off must be sweet. Hope it tastes of honey, smell of roses and limited edition exports of grandeur, which the ordinary man never can afford. Because, his surely serving the cause of Addis Ababa and Asmara. They are both giddy at this and they have a token buddy on their side.

It is like the fatalities, the destroyed villages, hospitals, factories and so on. Is just a distant memory. The looting, the rapes and the murders are water-under-bridge. Who needs to know about that… when you have masterminds like the professor dismissing it.

Who cares if there been plenty of divisions from two armies coming to aide of the state fighting TDF and the TPLF. Right? They are just fighting in an non-existing conflict, which people are dying from too. These people are dying natural deaths for no apparent reason. People are raped for no apparent reason. Society is broken down, local government twisted to pieces and the region is suffering for no apparent reason.

How foolish are you Mr. Professor? What do take people for? The bullets are singing and their song is “murder”. What are you thinking?

No conflict, therefore, no need for ceasefire. Who are you kidding? The dead will not speak out, but we the living got too. Since this is just fools errand and I hope he got the bag. I hope this old man got his hefty pension and perks to infinity. Because, there is no other way he can reason in such a manner. This is not common sense.

You are not sending armies, para-military groups and using these sorts of tactics and not called warfare. Warfare is a part of war. This is civil war and not a police operation catching a chicken thief. No, this is a mechanical and a tactical war. Which was supposed to be ended in late November after a few weeks, but is still on-going to this day.

The state will have to suffer the consequences of it for decades and a generation who was scorned will never forget the ills the Addis Ababa administration put them through. They will be torn and scorn for life. That is because of the will of power and to keep everyone under the spell of one man. He could not co-exist without the former allies in Mekelle. That’s why he had to destroy them and the blunt cost of that was the total destruction of the whole Tigray region. Which the Professor claims is “peaceful” or without war.

Professor Beyene Petros better get his mind right. He needs it. There is too many bad reports and proof of warfare. He just want to be a voice in support and get brownie-points with the leadership. Clearly he have gotten that today. However, his name will also be in upper-echelon of ridicule, as we all know this is a bogus attempt of whitewashing the war. Peace.

Ethiopia: Ethiopian American Civil Council (EACC) & Ethiopian Advocacy Network letter to President Joe Biden (20.05.2021)

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