Fighting for Freedom is not TPLF's Exclusive Domain

The emergence of Ginbot 7 as a popular movement and its becoming a real threat to TPLF's monopoly of power has caused a lot of fear and confusion within the TPLF circle. That is why we hear contradicting statements here and there.

Just a couple of weeks ago, in an interview with Africa Confidential, Meles was heard saying, Ginbot 7 ("the group") is not a challenge, but a significant irritant, but their real worry is the trained terrorists of al-shahbab. On the other hand they keep on labelling Ginbot 7 movement as a terrorist group, in the hope that it will stick in the face of the international community, and theirby legitimize their intention of crushing this popular movement. That is the move when, Zeru Hagos parroted, "Aweys out and Andy in" in his recent article in the TPLF mouthpiece (Aiga Forum), refering Andargachew Tsige's alleged meeting with Eritrean officials.

If at all, Andargachew had travelled to Eritrea to discuss issues of partnership, what is wrong with that? What is wrong if a movement adored by Ethiopians, sought partnership with any other power to liberate Ethiopians from the yolk of dictatorship they are in under TPLF? Didn't TPLF work hand in hand with EPLF in their effort to liberate Tigray from the dictator dergue? In fact, as TPLF's manifesto reveals, thier exclusive strategy was only armed struggle, and they used Eritrea, as their base.

Ginbot 7 on the other hand has, from its inception, declared that it will use all forms of ressitance to force TPLF stepdown and open a space where all different opposition groups could negotiate on an equal footing to form a transiational governemnt until a free election is held.

Current opponents of TPLF, including Ginbot 7 movement had tried the peaceful way by participating in the 2005 election. In that election, they mobilized the whole of the Ethiopin society, won the trust of the people and defeated the TPLF by a landslide victory on the ballot, until that victory was reversed by the bullets from the Agazi Army of TPLF.

Even after that victory was stolen, the opposition went further, against all odds, for the sake of peace, to let the TPLF prevail for one more term, on condition that the legal and political environment is facilitated to make the next election free from controversy. It was the TPLF that has an intention of ruling by force indefinitely, that closed the option, jailed the opposition leaders and killed and incarcereted the people mercilessly.

The TPLF thugs beleived that, since they have an ethnic Tigrayan army loyal to their authority (as is being partially admitted by Zeru Hagos in the Aiga Forum article I mentioned above), they can silence dissent indefinitely, against all odds. Where was it in history that dicators held the race to the finish, with out cracking, without fragmenting? That is what we are witnessing in the TPLF circle now. We will soon start to see some running away from the regime if they have any opportunity of travelling outside the country. For that matter, they were already preparing for this eventulaity from the beginning, as they were saving their looted money in foreign banks and sending their children to schools overseas (even though they are pretending of retiring at home by asking the rubber stamp parliamnet to approve a retirement benefit plan).

While the pressure from within will continue to be mounted, other forms of ressitance will also be launched from all directions, not just from within Eritrea alone. Who the hell did reserve, armed opposition for TPLF alone!!! Freedom requires all forms of sacrifices. And we won't spare any!!!

The Change We will Never Accept

In the run up to 2010 election, the discussion and pretension is going on in the TPLF circle, of changing the "old guard" by a "new blood" of leadership. As expected, the candidates being considered for the top positions are the Arkebes, Adhanoms, Tsehayes (Abbay), etc. all from the Ethiopian Aryan race. The Meles-Sebhat-Bereket core will continue to run the show from the shadow. In fact not from the shadow, but from their new equally staffed, funded, resourced and protected offices, they are trying to secure in the draft law they presented to "parliamnet" requesting benefits for officials leaving office.

Even to pretend, their search for new blood did not include peoples (as they want to call them) from Oromo, Amhara, Somali, Wolaita, Guraghe, Hadiya, Kembata,Sidama, etc. May be, after this article, they may consider thinking Juneidi Saado (who was being tossed from Ormomiya presidency to Minister of Communications, Minister of Science & Technology, a Tour Gguide for Azeb Mesfin, etc.), Addisu Legesse, or Abbadula Gemeda (whos is Oromo, only in theory). Or even Kassu Illala or Hailemariam Desalegn (tossed from South Presidency to a messenger in the PM office) from Wolaita, all of which are overwhelmed by fear and are only thinking by their belly.

If they are already preparing to crown their chosen people, whom they would manipulate from behind, why do we (the opposition) need to spend our time and money to particiape in an election at all? Just to legitimize their continuity, at the expense of our people whose wishes will never be respected in the election?

Meles has already told us in his "paper", he proudly presented in one conference, TPLF has to stay in power for the next 10 to 20 years to see through the developmental policies of his party to be implemented without interruption to see result. That is what he is planning to do in the publicly financed office, when he "leaves" the premiership.

I have no doubt that the draft law presented to "parliament" regarding benefits for officials leaving office will be passed by the rubber stamp parliament. We know this TPLF controlled parliament has passed other laws in favor of TPLF when TPLF lost the 2005 election, before the people's representatives joined the outgoing parliament. But, believe me, leave alone this law, even thier constitution will not survive, and they will not escape accountability, for all the crimes they committed during thier "aparthied" administration.

The TPLF is engulfed with the rage of the Ethiopian people from within and without. The blind support they enjoyed and expected from the USA, the EU and multilateral organizations in the past is not also forthcoming, particularly in relation to their invasion of somalia in the name of terror.

So, in the name of change TPLF wants to win the support of the Ethiopian people to continue controlling them while it remains a minority and evil minded group. Their mouthpiece, the Ethiopian Reporter, is also teaching us the importance of thinking above party line and advising us to focus on saving our country first. Which country is the Reporter talking about? The country TPLF has been slaughtering and giving parts to all neighboures? The Reporter is begging us to extend the Tigre supermacy, nothing else, not saving Ethiopia first!!!

Meles and Co., you may fake that you are making change, for the international community, your usual constituency, but for us Ethiopians, it is not change we can believe in, but it is a change "we will never accept"

Tshaye Debalke's Bluff is Panic, as Judgement Day Aproaches

Tsehaye Debalke, just posted an article in Amharic on Aiga Forum, titled (literal translation of mine), "Terror plot, in the name of democracy". I was not surprised by this bluff, since I know who Tsehaye Debalke is. He has good reason to panic as judgement day is approaching for non repenting TPLF thugs.

Let me just say a few words about Tsehaye Debalke. Before TPLF's control of state power in Addis Ababa, Tsehaye Debalke was a civil serevant, working as an ordinary person in the then Ministry of Information. I very well remember him as we boarded on a taxi as we rode to work from Frensay Legasion to Abune Petros.

But the directions and status of our lives changed a few months after TPLF controlled Addis Ababa. Just because, Tsehaye Dabalke was from the Tigre ethnic group, he was soon promoted to a higher position in the Ministry of Information (MOI) and soon became the head of Television Division in the the MOI. While I was still riding my taxi to work, Tsehaye Debalke, started driving brand new Toyota Land Cruisers, almost changing these cars every day and being escorted by body guards, because of his sudden change of status. Just in a few months it was a climb in status and fame, just becase he was a Tigre!!! Being a Tigre brings you a favored satus and money, to this day, in Ethiopia!!!

Within just a few years this hyena, ammassed untold amount of wealth. But, even that was not enough for him. He had even a bigger dream of becoming the top TPLF brass and bandwagoned on the side of the Siyes and Gebrus to topple Meles. After their attempt was foiled, he was safely escorted to leave the country. He moved to the US, with all his stolen wealth. I don't know what his status is now in America, whether he as an asylee (if he is an asylee, his staus should now be revocked, because he is barking in favor of the government he accused to get his asylee status) or working for his masters after asking pardon as did, Abbay Tsehaye, his friend.

So much so about Tsehaye Debalke. My advise to Mr. Tsehaye is: never think that the Ethiopian people would not recognise you just becuase you were away from the scene for a few years. Your return to the scene now is understandable as you try to rescue the TPLF, from the chaos it is in. We know, the only way you would escape accountability, is ony if TPLF stayed in power. The reason why you are barking now is because you have sensed that judgement day is approaching, as the system that unduly favored you is cracking.

Tsehaye Debalke, we Ethiopians don't need your advice. Ginbot 7 is our representative Movement, and we are giving it $500s $1000s and even more to strengthen it. We are doing it out of our own volition. Even your TPLF is collecting money from Ethiopians devastated by poverty through forced membership.

Mr. Tsehaye, since when did you become an advocate of the Amhara people? Wasn't your TPLF the party that was ordering the mass murder of Amharas in Bedeno, Arbagugu, Chelenko? wasn't TPLF the party that started its rebellion with the main objective of undermining the status of the Amhara, and a stated objective of bringing the Tigre dominance (refer at your party's manifesto)?

You were trying to riducle, perhaps, Dr. Birhanu Nega and Andargachew Tsgie, from the sky rises of New York and London. For that matter, from where are you parrotting your nonsense, or do you think also New York and London are also reserved only for people like you. You are living here freely hiding your embezzled money, but our heroes, live here because they were unable to live freely in their country that has become a prison to its people because of your TPLF. They are our heroes, and they will lead us to freedom from within and without!!!

Mr. Tsehaye, we, Ethiopians, are only demading and fighting for equality of status. Nothing less!!! Repent and embrace equality, before it is too late. We have said no to minority (Tigre) dominance. Act like the ostrich, that treis to hide its head in the sand, not to face reality, you will be forced to drink from the chalice on D-Day!!!

Oh! TPLF Give us a Break! You are our Worst Enemy

I was reading a recent MoFA statement, just posted on Aiga Forum, ridiculing Isayas Afeworki of Eritrea, under the title "President Isayas lectures the world, masquerading as the defender of Ethiopian Unity". In fact, if any word comes out of PM Meles Zenawi talking about Ethiopian Unity, I would have used the same title to ridicule Meles, since I am certain that, Meles has no agenda of defending Ethiopia's unity. From the start, as their first manifesto entails, TPLF's objective was to weaken and break up Ethiopia and build a Tigray Republic.

I don't see anything wrong, if Isayas projected himself as a defender of Ethiopian unity,in the so called interviews he gave, if after a long period of reflection (now 19 years), he has come to realize that defending Ethiopia's unity benefits Eritrea too, in all ways than one. Leaders make mistakes, acknowledge it, learn from it and make a renewed committment, to repair the damage they have inflicted. If Isayas is moving in that direction, I will give him the benefits of the doubt. I am against Meles's rigid evil stance.

On the contrary, Meles and co. (TPLF) are the ones who are still advocating for a weakened and divided Ethiopia. Weren't Meles and co. the ones ridiculing, himilating and belittling us, Ethiopians, for promoting the idea of, or even talking about Ethiopian unity? The TPLF had no remorse, not admitted any wrong regarding their position on Ethiopian unity. While we still have to prove him right, Isayas is at least showing signs of change regarding his past position on Ethiopian unity. The TPLF thugs are angry whenever they hear about Ethiopian unity. Whoever, that speaks about Ethiopian unity is their enemy.

The statement also shamelessly accused Isayas for closing political space, for lack of accountability, lack of the rule of law, and absence of election, and free media in Eritrea. What a hypocrsy!!! I am not saying that Eritrea is a democracy, but the TPLF thugs, who are the helm of dectatorship, have no any moral authority to accuse President Isayas as a dictator. There is no accountability, rule of law, free media and free elction in TPLF's Ethiopia.

I couldn't stop laughing when I read the line that accused Eritrea for condemning the US. Wasn't just about two weeks ago that Meles and Co. were barraging their insult and accusations on the US Department of State, for publishing the dismal Human Rights situation prevailing in Ethiopia?

In fact, I was unable to find a single sentence in the MoFA statement that does not apply exactly on the TPLF thugs.

So TPLF, give us a break!! Whatever disguise you use to try to hide your identity, will never work. You are our worst enemy!!! The fight for freedom continues!!!(Nekae bilenal)

TPLF's Consistent Message: Don't Challenge my Authority!

Nobody will be fooled by TPLF's acrobatics when it pretends to be loosening its grip by futile measures, such as suspending the new Charities and Civil Societies law that was recently enacted. Perhaps, they may fool the international community, but not us, Ethiopians.

From the beginning, the challenge to TPLF's power never came from the Ethiopian NGO sector. It was obvious that 99 percent of Ethiopia's NGOs were primarily engaged in delivering basic services, that in the first place, the government should have provided to the people, by raising resources from outside the country. They were doing the government's job. That was why they mushroomed in the country since 1991, as long as they did not question the status quo. And since then, TPLF was closely monitoring them and made sure they operated under their strict serveillance. The very few NGOs that had a different approach to development, were always checked, shown the "red line" and brought back in line.

It was in the run up to the 2005 election that a few NGOs started to show interest in participating in voter education, whcih made the TPLF feel insulted! They were quickly brought to silence immediately after the election, just by beating and jailing the two "strange" civil society activists, Daniel Bekele (he was not even a member of the local NGO) and Netsanet Demissie.

The challenge to TPLF's power came from the opposition who were capable of mobilizing the whole of the Ethiopian society, and bit the regime in the 2005 election. The humilated, the defeatted and the rejected TPLF, then turned its anger on everybody. Nobody was spared from the massacre and incarceration!!! Children, young people, women the elderly, NGOs.

As the pressure from the people, the opposition, and the international community mounted in the face of severe human rights violation, TPLF had to look for ways of distracting attention: invading Somalia in the pretext of terrorism and then drafting and enacting NGO law, jailing Birtukan. It succeeded! The whole world's attention shifted from the plight Ethiopians were facing, to Somalia. The debate became whether to tighten or loosen this or that artcile of the draft or enacted NGO law, to whether the condition of Birtukan's arrest was legal or illegal in reference to the "Clemency law' or the "Constitution", as if laws and constitution matter in TPLF's Ethiopia. Anyway, TPLF distracted world attention, and bought time to plan the next destructive strategy which will enable it to cling to power.

Since the beginning of May 2009, signs of revolt against the repression began to show up and TPLF is inside a narrow ring. They are now on the move to repress further, to silence this errupting volcano, by jailing many, and by killing many.

But they are trying to pretend that they are changing, once more for the "constitunecy", the international commuity. They are calling back deported Eritreans to return and invest and reclaim what they lost after the 1998 deportation. For the donors, this is a "normalization of relations with Eritrea towards peace", but for us, Ethiopians, this is purely another futile effort to buy vote from Eritreans by allowing them to vote in 2010, and an attempt to isolate Isayas Afeworki, from his people. There is not an iota of desire to build peace in the heart of the TPLF thugs.

They are pretending that they are changing by suspending the recent "Charities and Civil Societie" law, again, for the international community. Even for the local NGOs, the "change" had no meaning. In practice, it never affected them, as it was just intended to scare foreigners.

They have already moved back to Somalia, "to fight terrorists", and they will soon release Birtukan Mideksa. No doubt about that!

Believe me, there will soon be euphoria within the international community, who would rush to claim that the "regime is opening up space for civil society activity", and is "releasing opposition leaders" (as if Birtukan, will just do miracle amidst a severely weakened and divided UDJ) and will plead that "the regime has to be given chance". And they will call for calm and restraint from the oposition and the people and ask evrybody to participate in the 2010 "election". Perfect strategy for TPLF, as designed!!!

But for us, Ethiopians, nothing is changing, they are distracting attention and buying time. We know them, that is the style of their governance!!! Their message is conssitent: Don't challenge our authority. We take them for their words and fight them to the end. We will never be fooled!!!

From Warning to Pleading: The Disillusioned Woyane

The symptoms of the real demise of the TPLF are recurring over the last couple of weeks from the contradicting statements the TPLF and its mouthpeiece "the Reporter" are making. When the real crack in their rotten system began three weeks ago, they were quick to lament about an attempted coup, that soon turned to assassination attempt and then terror, just within days. They didnot have the courage to accept the reality that people will say, "enough is enough" when the torutre and humilation reaches beyond the level they can humanly tolerate.

From then on, it was all warning and intimidation of the people in successive statements through all the media they control at home, and through the electronic media through their racist representatives in the Diaspora (Aiga Forum). They did not even spare the US and UK governments who were their lifelines all along the last 18 years. And then came their mouthpiece, "The Reporter" with its warning, declaring, "the way forward is peace and only peace", as if TPLF was a promoter of peace, while it was the sole reason for the lack of peace in Ethiopia sice their control of power in 1991.

Peace does not prevail in a country just because one mentioned the word "peace' for political consumption purposes while promoting policies that undermined the peaceful coexistence of the people through actions that favor one minority group, particularly, the Tigray ehtnic group, economically, socially and politically. As stupid as it was, the TPLF believed, it could force the people to believe the unbeleivable, to accept the unacceptable, and to tolerate the intolerable indefinitely.

Even when TPLF was outrightly rejected during the 2005 election, it was not willing to read the visible signs of rejection, nor to listen to the voice of the people, and ignorantly believed it can silence the people's voice through more harsh intimidation tactics of indiscriminate mass murder and incarceration, as it did in the 2005 election aftermath. But that reinforced the determination of Ethiopians,including concerned militray officers and civil serevants, to fight for freedom from repression by a minority of Tigryans, who are at the helm of economic, social and political dominance in present day Ethiopia.

The turn of events over the last three weeks are now forcing the TPLF to sense the real threats to its monopoly of power. It is now witnessing that the time has come, where it can no longer continue cheating and intimidating the majority of the people under any pretext. That is why the TPLF machinery and its mouthpiece are trying to tone down thier arrogance, changing their stance from warning to pleading, just to buy time as usual, but not with genuine belief of the need to reconcile and unite with the rest of the people.

Just within the last couple of days, the "Reporter" has changed from its intimidating stance of, "my way is the only highway" to pleading about the need for unity, expressing its fear of an impending disaster in Ethiopia, if things don't change, and is advising Ethiopians to say, "enough is enough" to Ginbot 7,
which it believes is the culprit for all the current political developments in Ethiopia.

The Ethiopian people know, who was indiscriminately targeting whom over the last 18 years. The TPLF and its mouthpiece should know that the people do not seek their advice today. The Ethiopian people have already said "enough is enough" to the TPLF. The TPLF has to swallow the crude reality that, today it has one and only one choice: to come to terms to the fact that it is a minority and rejected regime, that it can no longer cheat the majority and have monopoly of power over them, and has to be ready to negotiate and accept its real place in Ethiopian politics, or face its total demise for inflicting intolerable pain against the people. It may also risk inflicting revenge on the people of Tigray, for projecting them as the "Arian equivalent of Ethiopia", unless the people of Tigray openly dissociate themselves from this racist group and plege allegiance to the whole of Ethiopia.

The TPLF and its mouthpiece are terrorized by the recent bold revelations of the real and the whole truth, by Ginbot 7 radio and General Haile Meles, and the Genocide Watch, of the crime that was being committed by the TPLF over the last 18 years. My timely advice to the TPLF: leave alone the warning, no amount of pleading will guarantee you the monopoly of power you enjoyed in the past. Hell or High Water, the majority will prevail. Accept this reality and step down!!!

Woyane: The Real Desperado of the Week

We heard Bereket Simon lamenting last week, labeling the Ginbot 7 as the "desperado" group in relation to the fabricated coup-turned assassination attempt trying to creat havoc in Ethiopia. They were also calling the US to extradite the leader of Ginbot 7, Dr. Birhanu Nega, as the culprit of this "terrorist" act. Blinded by their inflated perception of themselves, and proving their ignorance of how international relations operate, they thought they can horse ride and persuade the US government to submit to their wish.

Having learned that their effort was futile, they are now openly and desperately trying to discredit the US Department of State's 2008 Ethiopia Human Rights Report on their state controlled ETV. I am sure, they are doing this with three objectives in mind. First, this is a follow up foolish attempt to their earlier attempt of warning the US, conveying "if you don't cooperate with us, we will destabilize the region, which is already prone for terrorism" and trying to hold the US hostage to their sinister motive.

The Second is to send a message to the US pretentding that they no longer care about relations with US as they are building reliable relations with Russia and China as was being professed by Ambassador David Shinn. Again, ultimately trying to hold Amerca hostage, if it attempts to criticise the Woyane regime.

The third, certainly is, to send a chilling fear on the Ethiopian people at home, on the assumption that the people who are listening to these robust declarations on the ETV will think that the regime, which is not afraid of ending relations with the US will not hesitate using any force to silence their dissent. For that matter, in a related intervie, the dictator Meles has already recently revealed that any dissent will not be tolerated by the security forces and that they have completed all the preparations to harshly deal any dissnet, where he warned the people that they have to adequately learn from their mistakes of the 2005 election aftermath.

Beyond being desperate, the way they are trying to discredit the US State Department Human Rights Report is just laughable. While crtisizing the report as invalid on the basis of evidnece and methodology, the very methodology they used to counter the report and finding their "truth" was at best, interviewing frightened and helpless family members of the victims and equally frightened community members,and members of the local government security and police force, the perpetrators of the violence, at the worest.

So I say, this week was the week that showed that the woyane are the real desperados, and a second sign of the real count down to their demise