Wednesday, October 11, 2006

Amnesia Redux?

Our friends at Redeem Ethiopia don’t blog often enough, but when they do… goodnight! The latest entry, The Lures of War, is the kind of succinct brilliancy this blog will one day dream of being when it grows up.

Redeem Ethiopia, preach it brother:

Most western policy makers are surely a lot more naïve than the Ethiopian populace when it comes to reading the motivation of Ethiopian leaders. For instance, it has still not sunk in for most US policy makers that to support Ethiopia in Meles’ provocative invasions of Somalia can only strengthen the Islamic court by giving it a lot more legitimacy than it could muster on its own.

In many ways the rarasissboombah war of Ato Meles’ Attention Deficit Disorder should remind us of the EPRDF’s sneer-y war drumming back in 1998 when Eritrea was enemy du jour- an entity that had to be destroyed because it was, all of a sudden, destroying the Ethiopian way of life. Never mind that for seven years (longer, actually, since Meles and Iyassas were AK47 slinging Marxists guerilla buddies) Eritrea and Ethiopia could not be any more of BFFs.

So, suddenly and conveniently (or maybe because the crazy pills run out), Ato Meles became vaywee vaywee worried about Ethiopia’s borders, mainly that there wasn’t one up north. (Yes, usually you don’t grant “independence” to a province without, what is it called… actually demarcating the damn territory, but that’s not how Ato Meles rolls.) Ethiopians were asked to have amnesia: uhh, were we dreaming the whole TPLF-EPLF reign that rendered non-TPLF Ethiopians second class citizens? We were? Okay. Let’s go kill us some Eris.

Apparently that strategy worked so well that fast forward to 2006 and people in the Somali region/Ogaden, long neglected and marginalized by Ato Meles, are going to be asked to die for the glory of Ethiopia.

The US’ policy regarding the Horn of Africa and the looming catastrophe in both Ethiopia and Somalia has been lazy and chaotic. Ambassador-in-waiting Donald Yamomoto keeps turning the “Ethiopia is a strategic partner in the war on terror” wheels even as the wheels are coming to a grinding halt with a piercing squeal. Mr. Yamomoto forgets, Ato Meles thought it was a perfectly acceptable policy to deport people “if we don’t like the color of their eyes.”

Rock on, Don.

Soon, the US will learn just how unreliable an ally Ato Meles can be. For seven sloth-ridden years, the TPLF tangoed with one of the worst totalitarian African leaders next to, well, Ato Meles. When the novelty run out Ato Meles happily sacrificed tens of thousands of Ethiopians in the name of territorial integrity which left Ethiopia without a port.

Seriously? Haven't we learnt to pick our friends (Saddam Hussien call your office) a little more carefully?

Then came the Algiers agreement—where Atos Meles and Issayas shook hands and played nice by signing a treaty. An independent Border Commission would decide the final demarcation of the Ethio-Eritrean border. Ato Meles didn’t bother to take Badme (the alleged trigger point of a two-year war) out of the negotiations because… just ‘coz. Ato Meles famously said that he would accept the Commission’s demarcation even if the line cut through Addis Abeba.

Well, we all know what’s happened since. Border demarcation is for pussies… apparently.

In the negotiations after the May 2005 elections Ato Meles always pulled his trump card whenever he couldn’t handle intellectual gravitas: his famed “psychopathic willingness to kill his own people to keep power.”

Ethiopundit has surmised that the Meles regime would resort to slave trading if it meant hanging on to power. It is our contention that if the tide turns and Ato Meles thinks aligning with the Islamic Courts would extend his stay, he is taking that deal. You think that’s hyperbole? His guerilla buddy in Eritrea is sending arms to the ICU. Now, Eritrea has a measurable Moslem population. Why in the world would it dip its toes in a cesspool of fundamentalism? Because, and we hope you are taking notes, Ato Meles’ counterpart has the kind of special crazy in his heart that cultish, sh0rt-sighted warmongers can only aspire to. Allegiances between totalitarians is a very fluid situation- the Mujahadeen, the war lords in Somalia. You would think the US remembers these kinds of details.

Both Meles and Issayas have gone as far as imprisoning and torturing people who had fought with them in their liberation wars. Their loyalty is to their egos, while the people they rule with an iron fist are mere pawns to be patted on the head before they are stationed in front of cannons.

If it means holding on to power, the EPRDF will resort to any measure. For God’s sake this is an administration that has compared the opposition to the Rwandan Interwame! Bubbly government spokesperson Bereket Simon, in defending the killing by government forces of unarmed protestors, has said,

But, what was the alternative? Let's look at it. The alternative was strife
between the different nationalities of
Ethiopia which might have made the Rwandan genocide look like childsplay. This was the alternative.”

(Emphasis added)

Before the amnesia sets again, let’s remember that Ato Meles has that easily, that callously used the deaths of a million slaughtered Africans as a cheap campaign ploy. Additionally, the unfinished war between Ato Meles’ and Ato Issayas’ restless testosterone is playing out as a proxy war in Somalia.


The bottom line is, only a democracy can counter fundamentalism. That’s why, we assume, 2,775 American boys and girls and over 600,000 Iraqis have given up their lives.

The US, Tony Blair, Jeffrey Sachs and all of Ato Meles’ enablers are in for a very rude awakening.

Until then, rock on.

…………………………….

Additional reading: Meles’ Sea of Lies


Aside: Tsegasaurus at Egoportal… do we need to send your picture to Ethan Zuckerman? Tell us you are alive.

8 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Brilliant! Excellent analysis!

JORO YALEW YISMA
LIB YALEW YASTEWL

Yilal Yagere Sew


If only Legesse Wedi Zenawi's enablers would listen!

8:03 PM, October 11, 2006  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

As usual thought provoking and exceptionally well written.

6:55 AM, October 12, 2006  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Wonderful Wonqitu! It is people like you and Berhanu that makes me think that there is still hope for Ethiopia and Ethiopians.

12:42 PM, October 12, 2006  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

It seems that all the possible outcomes that I can think of of Meles' intervention in Somalia, will be in his interest. 1. If Ethiopian soldiers stationed in Somalia decide to let go of defecting opportunities and fight to cause damage on the ICU, Meles will be the hero, the west will be happy and more money and trust for him. 2. If the morale of the Ethiopian army weakens due to more defections and the internal situation, and the ICU becomes victorious and advances into Ethiopian territories, it is more than possible that the Ethiopian population will rise up to defend the country putting aside their greviences related to May 2005 and the likes. There is no way in hell or heaven or on earth Ethiopians would ignore being invaded, and certainly not by Islamic fundamentalists, and certainly not by Somalians, who happened to be historical enemies. Thus public attention and energy will successfully be diverted from internal politics and Meles, once again will get a break and a strong hold on power for some years to come. Whether they like it or not, Ethiopians will be put in a situation where they either have to rise up and defend themselves or be invaded by an Islamic fundamentalist group with no mercy for them in store. That is why Meles is in Somalia and provoking the ICU. Period!

In that kind of situation, Meles could well eliminate imprisoned opposition leaders and get away with it. Who would persecute him, eh? The America the war is being fought for also? The people defending their country from a butchering and mutilating, scary Islamic fundamentalist group that also threatens to take away a chunk of their beloved Ethiopia? Who?

12:51 PM, October 12, 2006  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

As long as we're speculating..., if Meles goes after the ICU, he's dead. If they can't win conventionally, they'll go guerilla and terrorist, and the Ethiopian population will suffer. Meles will have to deal with conflict on many fronts, instabiliy encourages insurrection, ...

Remembering the faux Eritrean war, Ethiopians will blame it all on Meles. After all, he started it, and for nothing!

On top of this, thanks to fifteen years of EPRDF belittling nationalism preaching ethnic hatred, let alone a border conflict, I don't much of the rest of Ethiopia could care less even if Somali State decided to join Somalia. I'm exaggerating, but certainly, they don't care nearly as much as they used to.

Anyway, Ethiopia is there to provide the US with good old-fashioned leverage of the sort Africans understand in negotiations with the ICU, as the beltway consensus has already moved towards negotiations. An Ethiopian invasion seems quite unlikely.

Wish they could use some of this good-old fashioned leverage with the quintessential big chief, Meles.

2:29 PM, October 12, 2006  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I am doing everything I can from where I am at. I participate in meetings and organize groups to chip-in whatever we can. The problem is back home, the people have access to all the soldiers and TPLF WOYANE CADRES as well as their supporters. I have yet to hear one TPLF WOYANE CADRE killed or maimed, everything I hear is TPLF WOYANE is killing a real Ethiopian. That really upsets me we do what we can but there is no help inside the country. Everyone we ask for contribution wants results, and there is nothing we can show for. At least a TPLF WOYANE AGAZI soldier killed would give us something to to tell our partners and Ethiopians to chip-in. Where there is no result there is no money, we are left frustrated and can do very little. At the beginning of the riots we had many interested people who were willing to come for meeting and chip-in for money, but as time went by and the struggle lost its juice we too lost most of the people who were willing to stand with our people.

What we need is people who are dying back home not to simply die, at least they should take a TPLF WOYANE AGAZI soldier with them. That is all we are asking, show us the results so we can let the fire catch and get more help from Diaspora Ethiopians. When I wrote the earlier piece, I knew that I would get some reaction. The purpose of it is not to exchange insult with others here, the purpose is to tell you the truth and wake you all up and fight for your F R E E D O M! Remember, what melese said, "we came to power by force, if you want it force us out" that is what he said. What more do you expect from a blood thirst bandit? Election is not a solution, because it was all controlled by Melese and his closest beneficiaries. Did you expect he was going to lose and accept his loss?

What we need is genuine people wishing to fight for freedom, stop complaining. Next time I read this blog, I want to read that at least ten TPLF WOYANE AGAZI FORCES were killed in confrontation. That is what I wanna read, nothing else. Especially, I don't want people posting another Ethiopian death or torture. I want results, so I can sale the idea of supporting the momvement to other concerned citizens.

RealEthiopian

12:07 AM, October 13, 2006  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

RealEthiopian is echoing his leaders' words. "All we need is people who are willing to die". LOSER WHY DON'T YOU START WITH YOURSELF FIRST AND WE WILL SEE IF ANYONE FOLLOWS YOU.
You can do so by joining your frieds who are trained by Shabiya.

"Show us the results and we let the fire catch..." YOU IDIOT you want to skip the journey and go to result right away. Does not that ring a bell? That is how your leaders fail from the begginging.

4:42 PM, October 14, 2006  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Very Refershing Blog.

I like how you approach the issue and present the links to the topics mentioned.

I find the current political situation in the Horn as very disturbing.

Ethiopian and Eritrea are more divided then ever. The sad part is now I think the divsion is extending to the people as before is was a political division, to a large degree it still is a political division and it should stay there.

But, in my view there will be no peace between Eritrea and Ethiopia for a very long time at least as long as the two leaders are in power.

The war has never been about Badame, the war is a tool used by whoever started the conflic (since I have litte knowledge as too how the war actually started)to stay in power.

Imagine if there was no war, where would Melis be? certainly the west would push for a democartic process, and since he's a slave to aid money he would open some democartic institutions and the snow ball effect would kick in and he would be without power in no time.

The situation for Issias is different he would probably still hold office even if free and fair elections were held, He is held with great esteem by Eritreans. However since the war and the cease fire that followed many people are questioning as well discovering some harsh realities about the nature of politic and of Issias himself.

2:17 AM, December 02, 2006  

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