(04 November 2019)

To: THE STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIALS AND THE CIA WHO BROUGHT ABIY AHMED TO POWER;
To THE NOBLE PEACE PRIZE COMMITTE IN OSLO;
To ALL HUMAN RIGHTS ORGANIZATIONS.

You all know very well that Ethiopia is under the control and domination of the Abiy Ahmed ethnic genocidal regime. Since his anointment to power by the US and Saudi coalition, thousands of Ethiopians have been killed, many thousands imprisoned, over 3 million displaced and a brutal ethnic cleansing of Amharas, Gamos, Welayitas, Afars pursued with bitter consequences. Ethiopia has slid into a catastrophic situation under the ethnic chauvinist, savage and inept regime of the TPLF Lt .Colonel called Abiy Ahmed now masquerading as a force for change and reform.

We Ethiopians, perpetual victims of real politick since Mussolini invaded our country, know very well that the coming to power of Abiy Ahmed and his Oromo group resulted from the decision by the US administration after a long deliberation on how to stop the popular revolt that threatened to remove the whole pro US repressive State apparatus of the TPLF-EPRDF established on the principle of ethnic discrimination and domination. The Ethiopian people did not elect Abiy Ahmed, and he made it clear that he will not accept the popular demand for an all-inclusive transitional process and declared his intention to continue the TPLF-EPRDF regime as is, the divisive Constitution and the anti democratic decrees and proclamation intact. To note, the so called anti-terror law that led to the stifling of dissent in the past is still used to jail and condemn journalists and activists. The propaganda campaign unleashed mainly by the Western media alleging that change and reform has come to Ethiopia is nothing else than hogwash,  the claims were and are untrue. 

He did not release even half of the political prisoners. On the contrary, the regime has added thousands more to the secret and known prisons since coming to power. They have not accounted for the disappeared. Not for one.

Anti democratic laws have not been repealed. Not one except the one that outlawed the Oromo and other groups that are now fierce allies of the regime. Abiy himself has now admitted he was a double agent working for the Oromo front (OLF). The extremist who is one of persons responsible for the ongoing ethnic carnage in Ethiopia, Jawar Mohamed of Minnesota, was a known member of the OPDO, now called the ruling Oromo Democratic Party of Abiy Ahmed Ali. In other words, the regime of Abiy Ahmed let loose Oromo narrow nationalists and Salafists on the Ethiopian People so much so that in the past year alone thousands have been massacred on ethnic and religious grounds, very many churches burnt, savage ethnic cleansing killings registered. We have been forced to witness the severing off breasts, chopping off male organs, gauging off eyes, mass burial of living victims, gang rape, destruction of church relics and historic documents, and the collaboration of the regime’s Oromo security and military elements in all these crimes. The savage hordes are transported to their killing field by government owned Isuzu trucks. The evidence is filmed and undeniable, the involvement of Abiy and officials of the regime ascertained. The demagogic but shallow Abiy should be tried for ethnic cleansing and not given the Noble peace Prize say many Ethiopians and Eritreans.

The so-called peace agreement is a sham of great proportions. Its contents are not known by the peoples of Ethiopia and Eritrea. The maneuver was to bring in the Eritrean regime out from the cold,  as American officials had wanted, because it had become Halal/Kosher by allying with the US-Saudi-UAE coalition against Yemen and had leased out Assab to the Arabs to use as a military base. Otherwise, Isayas Afewerki of Eritrea had made no change from his dictatorial ways and his ongoing repression has continued to produce thousands of refugees despite the bribe money he got from the EU to stop the flow of refugees. The Eritrean regime has imprisoned thousands of political prisoners in inhumane conditions but it has not released even one to deserve the lifting of international sanctions. The peace agreement benefited Eritrea, and it has no serious base. The borders are closed, the border issue not even tackled, the Irob people about to be divided, no real peace yet to be seen on the horizon. Just a charade and PR theatrics between Asmara and Addis Abeba. The overall situation in the Horn of Africa has been further destabilized, with Afars being attacked by Djibouti and Al Shabab, Wahabist extremists creating havoc in the Bale region of Ethiopia, South Sudan still a mess, and Al Shabab getting a helping hand and Egypt also stirs the cauldron to destabilize Ethiopia over the controversy of the Nile and the dam whose building has actually stopped since some years ago.

What is on the horizon? A catastrophic civil war in Ethiopia with dire consequences that makes one wonder why Washington has egged on such a situation. A civil war in Ethiopia is not to be equated with Rwanda or Somalia–it would be much worse and would destabilize the whole of Africa to no end. Ethiopians had called for an end to the ethnic chauvinist Oromo rule of the Abiy regime and the launching of a transitional process ending in an elected popular government . The supporters of the Abiy dictatorship seem to be opposed to this and the holding, if at all possible, of a sham election to continue with the dictatorship. A disastrous choice. Ethiopia at war means continent wide havoc and the increase in the number of refugees. The disdain for the Ethiopian people which the backers of Abiy seem to have will prove them mistaken to the core as the organizing resistance by the majority of people unfurls with fury. The majority of Oromos do not support the Abiy regime and they are neither in their majority Muslims or the largest in number as far as Ethiopians are concerned. Time to learn and appreciate the reality. The attempt by Arabs to ply their conflicts on Ethiopian backs, that is to say between the Abiy backing Saudis and the Jawar backing Qataris (al Jazeera etc) and their overall desire to see the destruction of Ethiopia promises a catastrophe for the region but non passera!

Peace and democracy in Ethiopia and in the Horn demands the starting of a transitional process towards democracy. There is no other way and all those who backed and still support the savage regime in Ethiopia are responsible for the loss of life and the impending catastrophe.

Dr. Anisa Tesema
Activist Mrs Alemitu Tsige
and many other concerned Ethiopians.