Sunday, May 6, 2012

Dear Ethiopians Stand Your Ground: Seize the Moment

Woyane reported that it identified "two Arabs" during the Friday Anwar Mosque protest, who entered the country, and drove right from the airport to the mosque to distribute pamhlets to instigate havoc, but deported them back immediately. What a silly and white lie!!! Is this a move to label the rightful questions of Ethiopian muslmis as a mob instigated by foreign Al Qaida terrorists to destabilize Ethiopia? Who are these two Arabs? Where did they come from and where were they deported to? How could they be there just a few hours after Woyane's warning on ETV? Or are they Abdula Saleh's (a friend of Meles Zenawi) relatives sent from Yemen to pose as "terorists" to justify Meles's attack on Ethiopian Muslims? Woyane also claimed it has captured a group of terrorists comprised of people from Tigray, Oromia, Amhara, etc, in Kelem, Wollega. All the dictators that fall due to the Arab Springs had lamented similarily. The people's questions were labeled as mobs by few drunken or drugged youth, foreign terrosits, Al Qauida members and sypathisers, islamic fundamentalists, people inspired by destabilizing foreign media (in Woyane's case, the usual suspects: ESAT, VOA and Deutsche Welle), etc. It looks like that Ethiopians have defeated their fear and not giving in to Woyanes's intimidating and divisive tactics. Despite Woyane's Thursday ETV warning, our Muslim brothers came in 100s of thousands to voice their concers after their Friday prayer, at the grand mosque and other mosques in Addis. Andnet held a meeting in Wolaita Soddo. We have also witnessed people protesting in Dessie, Harar, Dire Dawa, Gambella, Gamo Gofa, Afar, Waldiba, Assasa, etc. The fear has now really moved from the people to the Woyane thugs themselves. They never had experienced such a concerted and widespread resistance all over the country at the same time. The people's questions are not even political yet. They are just demands for natural and inalienable rights for freedom of religion, association and to property. Woyane has realized that its mercenary militia can not strech across thousands of mosques and churches in the country to sielnce the voices and is trying to stop it through its usual initimidating and divisive tactics. Did I also hear that Woyane is ready to discuss with Andinet party with the help of groups from the Woodrow Wilson Center and diplomats from the American Embassy in Ethiopia, on issues of avoiding conflict? The usual tactics to buy time, at such critical momnets, as it did after the 2005 election with Kinijit. My dear fellow Ethiopians, let us stand our ground!!! Momentum is on our side! Let us clinch our freedom from the jaws of the Woyane junta. Never let this moment pass us!!!