የአኖሌ ሐውልት ጉዳይ … «አሣ ጎርጓሪ ዘንዶ ያወጣል» እንዳይሆን – (ሞረሽ ወገኔ)

12/31/13 የአኖሌ ሐውልት ጉዳይ … «አሣ ጎርጓሪ ዘንዶ ያወጣል» እንዳይሆን –(ሞረሽ ወገኔ) | Zehabesha Amharic
https://www.zehabesha.com/amharic/archives/11329 1/6
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Saturday, December 28th, 2013 | Posted by admin
የአኖሌ ሐውልት ጉዳይ … «አሣ ጎርጓሪ ዘንዶ
ያወጣል» እንዳይሆን – (ሞረሽ ወገኔ)
በቅርቡ የትግሬ-ወያኔ አገዛዝ በሚቆጣጠረው የቴሌቪዥን ጣቢያ አንድ ዝግጅት ቀርቦ ነበር
ምንጭ:-
የዝግጅቱ ትኩረትም «የዳግማዊ አፄ ምኒልክ ሠራዊት በአርሲ እናቶች ላይ በፈፀመው የጡት መቁረጥ ግፍ» መታሠቢያ
የሆነ ሐውልት ስለመቆሙ ነበር። «ነገርን ከሥሩ ፣ ውኃን ከጥሩ» ይባላልና ለመሆኑ የዚህ አዲስ ሐውልት ባለቤቶች
እነማን ናቸው? በሐውልቱስ መቆም ማን ምን ፋይዳ ያገኝበታል? ብሎ መጠየቁ ተገቢ ይሆናል።
ከታሪክ እንደምንገነዘበው ዳግማዊ አፄ ምኒልክ ኢትዮጵያ ካፈራቻቸው ነገሥታት ውስጥ እጅግ ከፍተኛ ታሪካዊ
ተግባሮችን ያከናውኑ ከሚባሉት ጥቂቶች መካከል የሚመደቡ ናቸው። የኢትዮጵያን አንድነት በማጠናከር ረገድ ከአፄ12/31/13 የአኖሌ ሐውልት ጉዳይ … «አሣ ጎርጓሪ ዘንዶ ያወጣል» እንዳይሆን –(ሞረሽ ወገኔ) | Zehabesha Amharic
https://www.zehabesha.com/amharic/archives/11329 2/6
አምደጽዮን ወዲህ የተነሡት ትልቁ አገር ገንቢ ናቸው። በዚህ አኳያ የላቀ ድርሻ ያላቸው ምናልባትም ከዚያ በፊት እነ
አፄ ካሌብ እና አፄ ኢዛና (አብርሃ) ናቸው። ዘመናዊ ቴክኖሎጂን ወደ ኢትዮጵያ በማስገባት ደረጃ ኮትኩተው
ካሣደጓቸው ከዳግማዊ አፄ ቴዎድሮስ የላቀ ስኬት ለማስመዝገብ ብልህነቱም ሆነ መልካም አጋጣሚው ነበራቸው።
ከሁሉም በላይ በጥቁር አፍሪቃ ብቻ ሣይሆን በዓለም ደረጃ «ደካማ» የሚባሉ የዓለማችን ዜጎች «ጠንካራ»
በሚባሉት ቅኝ ገዢዎች ላይ አንፀባራቂ ድል ማስመዝገብ እንደሚችሉ እርሣቸው የመሩት የዐድዋው ድል ሕያው
ምሥክር ነው። ስለዚህ እኒህን ሁሉ ታላላቅ ተግባሮች ባከናወኑ ንጉሠ ነገሥት ላይ ይህ ሁሉ ውርጅብኝ እና ስም
ማጉደፍ በእነማን ፣ ለምን ተብሎ እንደሚካሄድ አብጠርጥሮ ማሣወቅ ያስፈልጋል።
ለመሆኑ ዳግማዊ አፄ ምኒልክ ማን ነበሩ? ዳግማዊ አፄ ምኒልክ የሸዋው ንጉሥ የኃይለመለኮት ሣህለሥላሤ እና
የወይዘሮ እጅጋየሁ ለማ አድያቦ ልጅ ናቸው። በአባታቸው ወገን ኢትዮጵያን ከቀዳማዊ ምኒልክ ጀምሮ ያስተዳደረው
የሰለሞናዊው ሥርወ-መንግሥት ደም ያላቸው ሲሆን እናታቸው ደግሞ ከጉራጌ ነገድ የሚወለዱ ናቸው።
በእናታቸውም ሆነ በአባታቸው ወገን ያለው ዝርዝር የትውልድ ሐረጋቸው በደንብ ቢጠና ከሁለት በላይ ከሆኑ ነገዶች
ቅይጥ ዘር እንደሚኖራቸው እሙን ነው። በዚህ ጽሑፍ ደረጃ ለማስተላለፍ የሚፈለገው ሃቅ ዳግማዊ አፄ ምኒልክ
ቢያንስ ከሁለት የኢትዮጵያ ነገዶች የተገኙ እንጂ የዘመኑ ዘባራቂዎች በሐሰት እንደሚደልዙት «የዐማራ ንጉሠ ነገሥት»
አልነበሩም። እርሣቸውም በየትኛውም አጋጣሚ ራሣቸውን በእንደዚህ ዓይነት መጠሪያ ገልፀው አያውቁም።
መቼም ሥልጣኔ ማለት ለሰው ልጅ መልካም ሕይዎት መደላደል የሚያስችሉ ቁሣዊ እና ኅሊናዊ ጉዳዮችን ማሟላት
እንደሆነ ይታወቃል። ይህ ማለት በቁሣዊ መልኩ ሲታይ የራቀውን ማቅረብ፣ የከበደውን ማቅለል፣ የተራራቁትን
ማቀራረብ፣ ጨለማውን ብርሃን ማድረግ፣ ሙቀቱን ማቀዝቀዝ፣ ቀዝቃዛውን ማሞቅ፣ አድካሚውን ማቃለል፣
የጠበበውን ማስፋት፣ ባንድ ቃል ተፈጥሮን መግራት እና ለሰው ልጅ ሁለንተናዊ ጥቅም ማዋል መገለጫዎቹ ናቸው።
በኅሊናዊ መልኩ ደግሞ ክፋትን በደግነት፣ ጠላትነትን በወንድማማችነት፣ ቂምን በይቅርታ፣ ካለፈው መጪውን፣
የኋሊት ከማየት ወደፊት ማትኮርን፣ የሕይዎት መመሪያ ማድረግ ነው። ሠሞኑን ይህችን ዓለም በሞት የተሰናበቱት
የቀድሞው የደቡብ አፍሪቃ መሪ ፕሬዘዳንት ኔልሰን ማንዴላ፣ የዓለምን የዜና አውታሮችን ትኩረት የሣቡት እና
የዓለማችን ኃያላን መሪዎች በቀብር ሥነ-ሥርዓታቸው ላይ በብዛት ታድመው አድናቆታቸውን ለመግለጽ የተገደዱት፣
በአፓርታይድ አገዛዝ ለ፳፯ ዓመታት በመታሠራቸው አይደለም። ይልቁንስ ለአሣሪዎቻቸው ይቅርታ በማድረግ
ራሣቸውን እና አሣሪዎቻቸውንም ጭምር ከኅሊና ተወቃሽነት ነፃ በማውጣታቸው፣ አልፎ ተርፎም ያለፈውን ክፉ
ድርጊት ለታሪክ ትተው፣ ለወደፊቷ ደቡብ አፍሪቃ አንድነት ምቹ መሠረት በመጣላቸው ነው። እኒህ ተግባሮቻቸው
ኔልሰን ማንዴላን የዘመናችን ታላቅ ሰው አድርገዋቸዋል። በተቃራኒው ግን በኢትዮጵያ ላይ የተጫኑ እና የኢትዮጵያ
ታሪካዊ ጠላቶች ጉዳይ አስፈጻሚዎች የሆኑት ዘረኛ የትግሬ-ወያኔዎች የዘመናዊቲቱን ኢትዮጵያ መሥራች ዳግማዊ አፄ
ምኒልክን ነጋ ጠባ ያወግዛሉ፣ ሥራዎቻቸውንም ያራክሣሉ። ሻቢያ ፣ የትግሬ-ወያኔ እና የኦሮሞ ነፃነት ግንባር (ኦነግ)
ኢትዮጵያውን ለዘመናት ይዘውት እና አስጠብቀውት የኖሩትን አንድነት በመናድ ሕዝቡን አገር-አልባ አድርገውታል።
ከዚህም አልፈው ኢትዮጵያዊ ሁሉ ወደፊት ሣይሆን ወደ ኋላ እንዲያይ፣ እንዲሁም እርስ በርሱ ተናክሶ
«ኢትዮጵያዊነት» የተሰኘ የዜግነት መታወቂያው እና «ኢትዮጵያ» የተባለችው አገሩ እንዳትኖር የሚያደርግ የልብ
ወለድ ታሪክ በሐውልት መልክ አቁመው ትውልዱ እሳት እና ጭድ እንዲሆን እያደረጉት ይገኛሉ።
ሻዕቢያ እና ወያኔ በትጥቅ ትግል ዘመናቸው ኢትዮጵያን ለመበታተን ላቀዱት ዓላማ እውን መሆን፣ በአገሪቱ ካሉት
ነገዶች መካከል በቁጥር ከፍተኛ መጠን ያላቸውን ዐማራን እና ኦሮሞን እስከ ወዲያኛው እንዳይገናኙ ማድረግ
ተቀዳሚ ተግባራቸው ነበር፣ ዛሬም ነው። ለዚህም ተግባር አስፈፃሚነት «ተስፋዬ ገብረአብ» በመባል የሚታወቀውን
በኢትዮጵያ ተወልዶ ያደገውን ግለሰብ፣ የሁለቱ ነገዶች ልጆች ወደፊት ዐይን ለዐይን ሊተያዩ የማይችሉበትን ሥራ
እንዲሠራ ወያኔና ሻዕቢያ መመሪያ ሰጡት። ተስፋዬ ገብረአብም በተሰጠው መመሪያ መሠረት «የቡርቃ ዝምታ»
የተሰኘ ዳግማዊ አፄ ምኒልክን እና የዐማራን ነገድ በጅምላ የሚያጥላላ ልብ ወለድ መጽሐፍ ጽፎ ከኦሮሞዎቹ በላይ
ኦሮሞ ሆኖ ወጣ። «ላለቅስ ሲሻኝ ጢስ ወጋኝ» የሆነላቸው አንዳንድ የኦሮሞ ልሂቃንም «ለካ ይኸን ያህል ተበድለን
ኖሯል» በሚል ስሜት ውስጥ በመግባት ዐማራውን የአባታቸው ገዳይ ደመኛ ጠላታቸው አድርገው ያዙት። ይህን
ተከትሎም «የኦሮሚያ ክልል» በተሰኘው እና ጥንተ-መሠረቱ የዐማራው፣ የሐዲያው፣ የጉራጌው፣ የከምባታው፣
የሲዳማው ፣ የጋፋቱ ፣ የዳሞቱ፣ የዝዩ፣ ወዘተርፈ አጽመ-ርስት ከነበረው ቦታ ሁሉ ዐማራው በገፍ እና በግፍ እንዲባረር
ተደረገ። ልብ ወለዱን መጽሐፍ የኦነግ ነባር ሰዎች ሣይቀሩ ዕውነታኛ ታሪክ ነው ብለው አመኑ። በመሆኑም የኦነግ
ወታደራዊ መሪ የነበረው አብረሃም ለታ ስለቡርቃ ዝምታ አስተያየት ሲሰጥ፦ ይህ መጽሐፍ በኦሮሞ ልጅ ቢጻፍ ኖሮ
የቱን ያህል ዋጋ ሊኖረው ይችል አንደነበር መቆጨቱን ይፋ አድርጓል። ከሁሉም የሚያሣዝነው ግን፣ የልብ ወለዱ
መጽሐፍ የተዘጋጀው ሆን ተብሎ ኢትዮጵያን ለመበታተን በሻዕቢያ እና በወያኔ የተቀነባበረ ሤራ አካል መሆኑ በግልጽ
እየታወቀ፣ ኢትዮጵያ ብትከፋፈል በመጀመሪያ ተጎጂ ከሚሆነው ከወላይታ ነገድ በሚወለደው በኃይለማርያም ደሣለኝ
አመራር፣ በተስፋዬ ገብረአብ ልብ ወለድ መጽሐፍ መሪ ገጸ ባሕሪይ በ«አኖሌ» ስም በአርሲ ውስጥ ሐውልት
እንዲሠራለት መደረጉ ነው።12/31/13 የአኖሌ ሐውልት ጉዳይ … «አሣ ጎርጓሪ ዘንዶ ያወጣል» እንዳይሆን –(ሞረሽ ወገኔ) | Zehabesha Amharic
https://www.zehabesha.com/amharic/archives/11329 3/6
ሐውልቱ «የኦሮሚያን ባህል እና ታሪክ ለትውልድ ለማስተዋወቅ»
በሚል ሽፋን በሥፋት በተንጣለለ የባህል ማዕከል እና ሙዚየም መካከል
የቆመ ነው። በስተቀኝ ባለው ፎቶግራፍ እንደሚታየው፣ በተዘረጋ ቀኝ እጅ
መዳፍ ማህል የተቆረጠ ጡት ጉች አለበት። ይህ ሐውልት የሚወክለውም
በዐፄ ምኒልክ የአገር ግንባታ ወቅት ሠራዊታቸው «በኦሮሞ ሴቶች ላይ
ፈጸሞታል» የሚባለውን የ«ጡት መቁረጥ ድርጊት» እንዲወክል ታስቦ
መሆኑ ተገልጿል። በእርግጥ ይህ ሐውልት ዕውነትን የሚወክል ቢሆን
ኖሮ ምንኛ ጥሩ በሆነ። ነገር ግን አንዳችም የታሪክ ዕውነትነት የሌለው
መሆኑን ማሣያው፦ በመጀመሪያ ደረጃ «የቡርቃ ዝምታ» የተጻፈው
ለፕሮፓጋንዳ ፍጆታ ታስቦ ነው። ሁለተኛ ተስፋዬ ገብረአብ ዕውቀቱን
ከቤተሰቦቹ አገኝቷል እንዳይባል ትውልዱ ከኤርትራ ወደ ደብረዘይት
በአፄ ኃይለሥላሤ የአገዛዝ ዘመን በሥራ ምክንያት ከመጡ የኤርትራ
ተወላጆች እንደሆነ ይታወቃል። ሦስተኛ በትምህርት አገኘው እንዳይባል
፲፪ኛ ክፍልን እንኳን በወጉ ያጠናቀቀ አይደለም። አራተኛ በሥራ ዓለም
ያካበተው ዕውቀት ነው እንዳይባል ዕድሜውም ሆነ ሌሎች ሁኔታዎች
ለዚህ አያበቁትም። ስለዚህ የቡርቃ ዝምታን እንዲጽፍ ልብ ወለድ
ኃሣቦችን የሰጡት የሻዕቢያ እና የወያኔ ሰዎች ስለመሆናቸው ከተስፋዬ ማንነት የምንረዳው ሃቅ ነው። የቡርቃ ዝምታ
እንዲጻፍ ያደረጉ ሰዎች አብይ ግባቸው፣ ዐማራ እና ኦሮሞ ለዘለዓለም እንዳይገናኙ አድርጎ ኢትዮጵያን የማጥፋት
ዓላማቸውን ማሳካት መሆኑ ግልጽ ነው። የሐውልቱ መገንባትም፣ በሐሰት የተገነባውን ኅሊናዊ ቅዠት ቁሳዊ መሠረት
በመስጠት
የሁለቱን ነገድ አባሎች እንዳይይገናኙ አድርጎ ማፋታት ብቻ ሳይሆን ማጠፋፋት መሆኑ ሳይታለም የተፈታ ሃቅ ነው።
ምክንያቱም ይህን ሐውልት የሚያይ ወጣቱ የኦሮሞ ልጅ ከማንም የዐማራ ልጅ ጎን ፈጽሞ አይቆምም። አለመቆም
ብቻ ሳይሆን፣ ዐማራን አድኖ እንዲያጠፋ፣ የማይፈታ የቂም ቋጥሮ እንዲይዝ እና በቀልን እንዲወልድ የሚያደርግ
እንደሆነ ለማንም የተሰወረ አይደለም። ይህም ቢሆን ሐውልቱ የሚወክለው የተስፋዬ ገብረአብን የምናብ ዓለም እንጂ፣
ዕውነቱን ባለመሆኑ ባህላቸውን እና ታሪካቸውን ጠንቅቀው የሚያውቁ የኦሮሞ ልጆች በዚህ እኩይ የትግሬ-ወያኔ
ማባበያ ይደለላሉ ተብሎ አይገመትም። እንደዕውነቱ ከሆነ ጥንትም ቢሆን የወንድ ብልት መስለብ እና የሴት ጡት
መቁረጥ የኦሮሞ እና የአንዳንድ የኢትዮጵያ ነገዶች ባህል እንጂ፣ የዐማራው ባህል አለመሆኑ የታወቀ ነው። ለዚህ
ማስረጃ ካስፈለገ አሁንም በዘመናችን በጉጂ፣ በከረዩ፣ በአርሲ አካባቢዎች ይህ ባህል አለመተዉ ይታወቃል።
ዐማራው፣ ለአገር ዕድገት እና ለብልጽግና የሚበጀው፣ ያለፈውን ትቶ ወደፊት ማዬት፣ ክፉውን በበጎ አለመመለስ
መሆኑን በመገንዘብ፣ በሌሎች የተፈጸሙበትን ግፎች ለልጆቹ ግቶ ባለማሳደጉ እንጂ፣ በኢትዮጵያ ታሪክ ውስጥ እንደ
ዐማራው በሌሎች ነገዶች እና ጎሣዎች ልሂቃን በደል የተፈጸመበት የለም። ሆኖም በዕምነቱ፣ በባህሉ እና በአመለካከቱ
«ጠላትህን ውደድ፣ ክፉን በክፉ አትቃወም፣ ክፉ ለሠራብህ ደግ መልስለት» በሚለው ኃይማኖታዊ ትምህርት የተገራ
በመሆኑ፣ በማናቸው ነገድ እና ጎሣ ላይ ቂም ቋጥሮ በቀል አለመፈጸሙ እንደአላዋቂ አስቆጥሮት፣ ለተደጋጋሚ ጥቃት
ዳርጎት እያየን ነው። የተስፋዬ ገብረአብ ልብወለድ እንደ ዕውነት ተቆጥሮ ዐማራን ለማጥፋት እንደመሣሪያ
እንዲያገለግል ከተደረገ፣ ኦሮሞውም ለወደፊት ልዕልናው የሚበጀውን ሣይሆን፣ ሁልጊዜ ባልተፈጸመበት የልብ ወለድ
ታሪክ ላይ ተመሥርቶ አገሩን ኢትዮጵያን እና ወገኑን በጠላትነት እንዲያይ ይገፋፋል። ይህ ደግሞ ለራሣቸው
ለኦሮሞው ነገድ ተወላጆችም ሆነ ለኢትዮጵያ ሕዝብ ምንም አይጠቅምም። እንዲያውም በትክክለኛው አቅጣጫ
ከተሄደ ዐማራውም በታሪኩ በተደጋጋሚ በደረሱበት ጭፍጨፋዎች እና ግፎች ላይ በመመርኮዝ በርካታ ሐውልቶችን
ማሠራት ይችላል፣ አገሪቱም ሐውልት በሐውልት ትሆናለች። ለአብነት ያህል በዐማራው ላይ የተሠሩ ግፎችን እንይ፦
አንደኛ፦ ትውልዱን ከሶማሌ ነገድ የሚስበው አህመድ ኢብራሒም አል-ቃዚ (ግራኝ አህመድ) ከ፲፭፻፲፱ ጀምሮ
በዘንተራ የጦር ግንባር እስከሞተበት ረቡዕ የካቲት ፳፯ ቀን ፲፭፻፴፭ ዓም ድረስ፣ ለ፲፯ ዓመታት ኢትዮጵያን በወረራ
እሳት በለበለባት ወቅት፣ የጥቃቱ ዋነኛ ሰለባ የነበሩት ዐማራ እና የኦርቶዶክስ ተዋሕዶ ቤተክርስቲያን ነበሩ። ግራኝ
አህመድ በሚሊዮን የሚቆጠሩ ኢትዮጵያውያንን በአሠቃቂ ሁኔታ አስጨፍጭፏል። በአምባ ግሼን ላይ ታሥረው
የነበሩትን የዘመኑን የነጋሢ ዘሮች በሙሉ አርዶ ገድሏቸዋል። በሺህዎች የሚቆጠሩ አብያተ ክርቲያናትን የነበራቸውን
ልዩ ልዩ ቅርስ እና ንብረት አስዘርፎ ሙሉ በሙሉ አቃጥሏቸዋልል። ይባስ ብሎም በርካታ ክርስቲያን ዐማሮችን
በባርነት እየፈነገለ ወደ አረብ አገሮች፣ ቱርክ፣ ፋርስ (ኢራን)፣ ሕንድ፣ ፓኪስታን እና ኢንዶኔዥያ ሣይቀር ሸጧል።
ከዚህም በተጨማሪ የፍራፍሬ ዛፎችን ሣይቀር ከሥራቸው እያስመነገለ አጥፍቷል።
ሁለተኛ፦ በጦርነት የማረኩትን የዐፄ ገላውዲዎስን አንገት የቆረጡት እና ሐረር ግንብ ላይ የሰቀሉት አደሬዎች ናቸው።
ሦስተኛ፦ ኦሮሞዎች ከ፲፭፻፶ዎቹ መጀመሪያ ጀምሮ ከሕንድ ውቅያኖስ ጠረፍ ተነስተው አሁን እስካሉበት የአገሪቱ12/31/13 የአኖሌ ሐውልት ጉዳይ … «አሣ ጎርጓሪ ዘንዶ ያወጣል» እንዳይሆን –(ሞረሽ ወገኔ) | Zehabesha Amharic
https://www.zehabesha.com/amharic/archives/11329 4/6
ክፍሎች ድረስ የተስፋፉት ባለፉበት አገር ሁሉ ወተት እና ማር እያዘነቡ ሣይሆን፣ አልገዛም ብሎ የተዋጋቸውን ነባሩን
ሕዝብ በጅምላ በመጨፍጨፍ፣ ሚስት ለማግባት የደረሰውንም በመስለብ፣ የሴቶችን ጡት እየቆረጡ፣ በአጠቃላይ
የተወራሪውን ሕዝብ ማንነት በከፍተኛ ወታደራዊ ዘመቻዎች በመጨፍለቅ እንደሆነ ይታወቃል።
አራተኛ፦ በ፲፯፻፸ዎቹ በአገሪቱ ከነበሩት መሥፍኖች አንዱ የትግሬው ራስ ሥሁል ሚካኤል ነበር። ይህ መሥፍን
በጎንደር ተቀምጦ ነገሥታቱን በአሻንጉሊትነት በማስቀመጥ እና በታሪካችን «ዘመነ-መሣፍንት» የሚባለውን አሣፋሪ
የታሪክ ምዕራፍ በመክፈት ይታወቃል። በእርሱ የምሥፍንና ዘመን በአስተዳደሩ ያልተደሰተው ፋሲል የተባለ የጎጃም
የጎበዝ አለቃ በአገዛዙ ላይ አመጸ። ሥሁል ያመጸውን ፋሲልን ለማስገበር በርካታ ሠራዊት አሰልፎ ወደ ጎጃም ዘመተ።
በዘመቻውም ሥሁል ሚካኤል ቀንቶት ፋሲልን ድል ነሣ። ከድል በኋላ የሥሁል ሚካኤል ሠራዊት ጨዋቃ የተባለውን
የፋሲል ተከታይ አርደው፣ ቆዳውን ስልቻ በማውጣት ጭድ ሞልተው፣ ለሥሁል ሚካኤል ግዳይ ጥለውለታል። ይህ
በዚያን ዘመን በትግሬዎች አማካይነት በዐማሮች ላይ የተሠራ ግፍ ነው። ወደ ኋላ ማየት ካስፈለገ ይህም ሐውልት
ያሻዋል።
አምሥተኛ፦ ዐፄ ዮሐንስ ፬ኛ የወሎን እስላም «ክርስትና ካልተነሳህ» ብለው ምላስ ቆርጠዋል፣ አፍንጫ ፎንነዋል፣
ከርስቱም ነቅለዋል።
ስድስተኛ፦ ዐፄ ዮሐንስ «ደርቡሽን እዋጋለሁ» ብለው ከትግራይ ከተነሱ በኋላ አስቀድመው የዘመቱት ወደ በደርቡሽ
ላይ ሣይሆን በሚያሣዝን ሁኔታ በደርቡሽ በተቃጠለው በጎንደር፣ ከደርቡሽ ጋር በተዋጋው በጎጃም እና «የእስልምና
ኃይማኖትህን ቀይር» ብለው ባስገደዱት በወሎ ሕዝብ ላይ ነበር። በተለይም በጎጃም ሕዝብ ላይ ልጅ አዋቂ ሣይለዩ
ከሕፃን እስከ ሽማግሌ ሁሉንም በግፍ አስጨፍጭፈዋል። ይህንንም ተግባራቸውን አብረዋቸው በጦርነቱ ዘምተው
የነበሩት ግብፃዊው ጳጳስ አቡነ ሉቃስ «ድርቡሽን እዋጋለሁ ብለህ መጥተህ፣ አንተ ራስህ በጎጃም ሕዝብ ላይ ድርቡሽ
ሆንክበት» በማለት የግፍ ግድያውን ማውገዛቸው ይታወቃል። የጎጃም አስለቃሽም የግፉን አሰቃቂነት በመመልከት
እንዲህ ብላ ማስለቀሷ ይታወሳል።
ጎጃም ተቃጠለ ዐባይ እስከ ዐባይ፤
ትግሬ ቅጠል ይዞ ሊያጠፋው ነዎይ፤
ሰባተኛ፦ በ፲፱፻፳፰ ዓም የጅማው ባላባት የአባ ጅፋር የልጅ ልጅ አባ ጆቢር (የኦነግ አመራር አባል የአባ ቢያ አባት)፣
ከፋሽስቱ ወራሪ ጣሊያን ጋር በማበር፣ የዐማራ አንገት እየቆረጠ ለሚያመጣለት ኦሮሞ ሁሉ ፴ ጠገራ ብር
እንደሚከፍል አዋጅ አስነግሮ፣ አያሌ ዐማሮችን ማስጨፍጨፉ ይታወቃል። ከአባ ጆቢር ይልቅ ፋሽስቱ ግራዚያኒ
ሰብአዊነት ተሰምቶት ግድያውን ማስቆሙ ታሪካችን ያረጋግጣል።
ስምንተኛ፦ በ፲፱፻፹፪ ዓም በአሶሳ ይኖሩ በነበሩት ዐማሮች ላይ የሻዕቢያ እና የኦነግ ታጣቂዎች በጣምራ በመዝመት
ከ500 በላይ የሚሆኑትን ሰብስበው ቤት ውስጥ በመዝጋት በእሳት አቃጥለው እንደጨረሱዋቸው ይታወቃል።
ዘጠነኛ፦ ከ፲፱፻፹፬ እስከ ፲፱፻፹፮ ዓም በነበሩት ፫ ዓመታት ውስጥ ብቻ በበደኖ፣ በወተር፣ በአርባ ጉጉ፣ በአሰቦት
ገዳም በሌሎችም የምሥራቅ ኢትዮጵያ ክፍሎች ዐማሮች ዐማራ በመሆናቸው ብቻ በዘራቸው እየተለቀሙ
ከነሕይዎታቸው ወደ ገደል ተወርውረዋል፤ ታርደዋል፣ ነፍሰጡር እናቶች ሆዳቸው በሳንጃ ተሰንጥቆ ሽል ተሰልቧል፤
ሰዎች ቆዳቸው እንደ ፍየል ሙክት ተገፍፎ ስልቻ ወጥቷል።
አሥረኛ፦ በ፲፱፻፺፫ ዓም ምሥራቅ ወለጋ ውስጥ ለዘመናት ይኖሩ የነበሩ ከ፳ ሺ በላይ ዐማሮች «አገራችሁ አይደለም፣
ውጡ» ተብለው፣ ቤት ንብረታቸውን ተነጥቀው ተባርረዋል። በዚህ ዐማራን የማፈናቀል ሂደት ውስጥ ይታየው
መሥፍን የተባለውን ኅዳር ፳፰ ቀን ፲፱፻፺፫ ዓም ከነከብቶቹ በእሳት አቃጥለው ገድለውታል። መልካሙ ውባለም
የተባለውን ገድለው ምላሱን ቆርጠው ወስደዋል። አስረግደው ውቡ የተባለውን በጥይት ገድለው በሬሣው ላይ
በአንገቱ፣ በወገቡና እና በእግሩ ላይ አንካሤ ቸክለውበታል። አባ በላይ የተባሉትን ማዬት የተሳናቸው አዛውንት ከገደሉ
በኋላ «ዐማራ ዐማራ ነው» በማለት ሰልበዋቸዋል። የሁለት ዓመቱን ሕፃን ልጅ እናቱን ስለገደሉበት አባቱ አቶ አዲሱ
እናት አልባ የሆነውን ልጁን ያለእናት ማደጉን ለመግለጽ ስሙን «ቀረብህ» ብሎታል። ። (ዝርዝር ታሪኩን ጦቢያ
መጽሔት ቅጽ ፰ ቁጥር ፰ ፲፱፻፺፫ ዓም ዕትም ይመልከቱ)።
አሥራ አንደኛ፦ የወልቃይት፣ የጠገዴ፣ የጠለምት፣ የሰቲት እና የአርማጨሆ ዐማራ በጅምላ ተገድሎ ታስሮ እና
ተፈናቅሎ፣ በአጽመ ርስቱ ላይ ትግሬ እንዲሠፍርበት ተደርጓል።
አሥራ ሁለተኛ፦ በምሥራቅ ኢትዮጵያ በጅጅጋ ከተማ ለዘመናት ይኖሩ የነበሩትን ዐማሮች «አገራችሁ አይደለም»
ተብለው ኃብት ንብረታቸውን ተነጥቀው ተባርረዋል።12/31/13 የአኖሌ ሐውልት ጉዳይ … «አሣ ጎርጓሪ ዘንዶ ያወጣል» እንዳይሆን –(ሞረሽ ወገኔ) | Zehabesha Amharic
https://www.zehabesha.com/amharic/archives/11329 5/6
አሥራ ሦስተኛ፦ ከ፪ሺህ፬ ዓም ጀምሮ በደቡብ ምዕራብ ኢትዮጵያ በጉራ ፈርዳ ወረዳ ይኖሩ የነበሩትን ከ፸፰ ሺህ
በላይ ዐማሮች «አገራችሁ አይደለም» ተብለው በግፍ ኃብት ንብረታቸውን ተነጥቀው ተባርረዋል፤ በአሰቃቂ ሁኔታም
ብዙዎች ተገድለዋል።
አሥራ አራተኛ፦ ባለፈው ዓመት በ፪ሺህ፭ ዓም በአሶሳ እና በመተከል (ጎጃም) ይኖሩ የነበሩትን ከ፶ ሺህ በላይ
ዐማሮችን «አገራችሁ አይደለም፣ ውጡ» ተብለው ቤት ንብረታቸውን ተነጥቀው ተባርረዋል። በማባረሩ ሂደት
ውስጥም አቶ አሥራደ መቅጫ የተባለውን ዐማራ አርደው፣ ሰልበው እና የፊቱን ቆዳ ገፍፈው አስከሬኑን ጫካ ውስጥ
ጥለውታል። አቶ ተሰማ ስዩምን በጥይት ደብድበው ገድለዋል። ሌሎች ፲፪ ሰዎችን ሠርተው እንዳይኖሩ አድርገው፣ከሞት መልስ ቀጥቅጠው ደብድበዋቸዋል። ወላድ ሴቶች በመንገድ ላይ እንዲወልዱ በመገደዳቸው የእንግዴ
ልጃቸውን ውሻ እንዲበላው ተደርጓል። እትብት መቁረጫ አጥተው በባልጩት እንዲቆርጡ ተገድደዋል።
አሥራ አምሥተኛ፦ ዘረኛው የትግሬ-ወያኔ አገዛዝ ዐማራውን ከምድረ ኢትዮጵያ ለማጥፋት በኤች አይ ቪ ቫይረስ
የተበከለ ደም በመርፌ እየወጋ በሽታውን እያሰራጨ እንደሆነ የአደባባይ ሚስጢር ነው። በዚህም አጥፊ ጉዞው
ከ፲፱፻፹፱ እስከ ፲፱፻፺፱ ዓም ድረስ በነበሩት በ፲ ዓመታት ጊዜ ውስጥ ብቻ የዐማራው ቁጥር ከሌሎች ነገዶች በተለየ
ሁኔታ በሁለት ሚሊዮን አምስት መቶ ሺህ እንዲቀንስ አድርጓል።
አሥራ ስድስተኛ፦ በተላላፊ በሽታ እና በወሊድ ቁጥጥር ሰበብ የዐማራውን ተወላጅ፣ ወንዱን የሚያኮላሽ፣ ሴቱን
የሚያመክን መድኃኒት በመስጠት ከፍተኛ የሆነ የዘር ማጥፋት ወንጀል ይፈጸምበታል።
ከላይ ከተዘረዘሩት መካከል እኛ ባለንበት በ፳፩ኛው ክፍለ-ዘመን የተፈፀሙት እና የሚፈፀሙት በፍርድ ሂደት ዕምነት-
ክህደት የሚጠየቅባቸው እንኳን አይደሉም። በጥቅሉ ሲታይ በዐማራው ነገድ ላይ በተከታታይ የዘር ማጥፋትና የዘር
ማጽዳት ወንጀል ተፈጽሞበታል። እነዚህ ሁሉ፣ «ወደ ኋላ እንይ፣ ትውልዱን በቂም በቀል ስሜት ውስጥ ከትተን እስከ
ዝንተ-ዓለሙ እንዳይገናኝ አድርገን ኢትዮጵያን እናፍርሳት» ብለን ካሰብንና ካመንን፣ ታላላቅ ሐውልቶች ማቆም ብቻ
ሣይሆን ብዙ የደም መፋሰስ የሚያስከትሉ እንደሆነ ማንም ኅሊና ያለው ሰው ይገነዘበዋል። ከዚህ አንፃር የጥፋት
መልዕክተኛውን የተስፋዬ ገብረአብን የልብ ወለድ መጽሐፍ የቅዠት ተረት ተረት፣ በገሃዱ ዓለም የተፈጸመ አስመስሎ
«የአኖሌ እጅ» ላይ የተቆረጠ ጡት አስቀምጦ ሐውልት ማቆም፣ አተራማሾቹ የፈለጉትን ኢትዮጵያን የመናድ
ተልዕኮአቸውን እንዲወጡ ከማድረግ ያለፈ ለኦሮሞ ሕዝብ የሚሰጠው አንዳችም ቁሳዊም ሆነ ኅሊናዊ ፋይዳ የለም።
በትርምሱ ተጠቃሚ የሚሆኑትም የአናሳዎቹ የሻዕቢያ እና የትግሬ-ወያኔ ቡድኖች እና ተከታዮቻቸው ብቻ ናቸው።
ለ፳፫ ዓመታት በሥልጣን ኮርቻ ተፈናጥጠው ለመቆየት የቻሉትም፣ በእነዚህ ሁለት ታላላቅ ነገዶች መካከል
ባሠራጩት የጠላትነት ፕሮፓጋንዳ፣ ሆድና ጀርባ ሆነው እንዲተያዩ በማድረጋቸው እንደሆነ ግልፅ ነው።
ኢትዮጵያዊነትን፣ ብሔራዊ አንድነትን እና የአገራችንን ኅልውና ማስጠበቅ የሚቻለው ለሥልጣን እና ማዕከላዊ
አስተዳድርን ለመመሥረት ሲባል የተደረጉትን ግብግቦች እና ግጭቶች፣ አልፎ አልፎም ጦርነቶች ያስከተሉትን ጥፋት፣
የተወሰኑ ነገድ አባሎች ብቻ እንዳደረጉት በመቁጠር፣ አልፎ ተርፎም የዚያን ነገድ አባሎች በጅምላ ለመበቀል በመነሣት
አይደለም። ውሾች በአጥንት ይጣላሉ፤ ጅብ ሲመጣባቸው ግን ጠባቸውን ትተው በጅቡ ላይ ያብራሉ። የእስከዛሬዎቹ
ኢትዮጵያውያን አባቶቻችን እና እናቶቻችንም ሲያደርጉ የኖሩት ይህንኑ ነበር። ኢትዮጵያ ከራሷ አልፋ የአፍሪቃ
መመኪያ እስከመሆን የዘለቀችውም አባቶቻችን «የዘመድ ጥል፣ የሥጋ ትል» ብለው በየግል የደረሰባቸውን በደል
በሠፊዋ ኢትዮጵያ ኅልውና ለድርድር የማያቀርቡ በመሆናቸው ነበር።
በአገራችን ብሔራዊ አንድነት ግንባታ ወቅት «ተከሰተው ነበር» የሚባሉ ችግሮች ሁሉ፣ በአድራጊ ግለሰቦች እና
በአደራረግ ሁኔታ እንዲሁም በቦታ እና በጊዜ ከመለያየት ውጪ፣ በየትኛውም አገር የተከሰቱና ሁሉም አገሮች
ያለፉባቸው የኅብረተሰብ ዕድገት ውጤቶች ናቸው። በዚያን ጊዜ ሠፊ መሬትና የፈላጭ ቆራጭነት ሥልጣን ከመፈለግ
አኳያ አንዱ ነገድ ሌላውን ፈጽሞ ለማጥፋት የቃጣበት ወቅት የለም። እንዲያውም የጦርነቶቹ ባህርይ፣ «የተገዛ፣
አልገዛም» ግብግብ መገለጫ ስለነበር፣ በተመሣሣይ የነገድ አባሎች መካከል የነበረው የእርስ በእርስ ግጭት የበዛ ነበር።
በዚህ ረገድ በእኛ አገር ዋነኞቹ ተፋላሚዎች «ከዘውድ እንወለዳለን» በሚሉት የመሣፍንት ወገኖች መካከል ስለነበር፣
ጦርነቱ ከነገድ ወርዶ በወንድማማቾች መካከል የተካሄደ ነበር። ይህም በመሆኑ በአገራችን የግራው አመለካከት
በትውልዱ መሐል እስከተዘራበት እስከ ፲፱፻፷ዎቹ ድረስ አንድም ነገድ ሌላውን ነገድ በጠላትነት ፈርጆት አያውቅም
ነበር። የ«አኖሌ የጡት ቆረጣ» ታሪክም የዚሁ የግራ-ዘመሙ ትውልድ የፈጠራ ታሪክ ውጤት ነው። የግራው
አመለካከት ለእኛ አገር ቀርቶ ለበቀለበትም አገር የማይጠቅም ሆኖ፣ ተወግዞ ከተወገደ ከ፳ ዓመታት በላይ ተቆጥረዋል።
ስለሆነም፣ ኢትዮጵያን የሚያጠፋ፣ ሕዝቡን ለመተሣሠብ እና ለአንድነት ሳይሆን ለቂምና ለቁርሾ የሚያነሣሣ ልብ
ወለድ ድርሰትን በታሪክ ስም ማስቀመጥ፣ አልፎ ተርፎም ሐውልት መገንባት፣ ከጥቅሙ ይልቅ ዘለቄታዊ ጉዳቱ
እንደሚያመዝን በስማቸው ለሚነገድባቸው የኦሮሞ ተወላጆች ግልፅ ሊሆንላቸው ይገባል። የኦሮሞ አባቶችም
በስማቸው የሌላቸውን ጠላት የሚገዛላቸውን ይህን ሐውልት እንዲያወግዙ ይለመናሉ።
ይህ ካልሆነ ግን የዐማራ ተወላጅ ሁሉ እንዳለፉት ዘመናት «ለጋራ ጥቅም» እያለ «ሆድ ይፍጀው» ብሎ በዝምታ12/31/13 የአኖሌ ሐውልት ጉዳይ … «አሣ ጎርጓሪ ዘንዶ ያወጣል» እንዳይሆን –(ሞረሽ ወገኔ) | Zehabesha Amharic
https://www.zehabesha.com/amharic/archives/11329 6/6
አይቀመጥም። እስከዛሬ ድረስ የዐማራው ወላጆች በኢትዮጵያዊነት ጥላ ሥር አብሮ ለመኖር ሲባል ለልጆቻቸው
ሲያስጠኑ የኖሩት፣ የታሪካችንን ደግ ደጉን ክፍል እንጂ፣ ክፉ ክፉውን አይደለም። ሆኖም ዐማራውን የሚያጥላሉ
«የቡርቃ ዝምታ» ዓይነት ጽሑፎች እና የአኖሌ ሐውልትን ዓይነት ቋሚ ሥራዎችን ማስፋፋት፣ ለዘመናት ሣይገለፅ
የኖረውን ዕውነተኛ የኦሮሞዎችን ማንነት ግልጥልጥ አድርጎ እንዲያስተምር ይገፋፋሉ። ስለዚህ የአኖሌ ሐውልት
መቆም እንደ ሶባስቶፖል መድፍ ወደ ኋላ ተተኩሶ ተኳሹን የሚያጠፋ ከመሆን ያለፈ ፋይዳ አይኖረውም፦ «ደባ
ራሱን፣ ስለት ድጉሡን» ወይም በሌላ አገላለፅ «አሣ ጎርጓሪ ዘንዶ ያወጣል፣ የሰው ፈላጊ የራሱን ያጣል» ነውና!
ዐማራን ከፈፅሞ ጥፋት እንታደግ!
ፈለገ አሥራት የትውልዳችን ቃል ኪዳን ነው!
ኢትዮጵያ ለዘለዓለም ትኑር!
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the accuracy of information or endorses the contents provided by external sources.
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“ዐማራው በአገር አትኖርም ተብሎ…
ለመሆኑ እኛ ዐማሮች ምን…
“በሣዑዲ ዐረቢያ በሚኖሩ…
የዐማራውን ዘር የማጥፋቱ ዘመቻ…
ትንሽ ስለ ተስፋዬ ገብረአብ –…
እባክዎን ካነበቡ በኋላ ላላነበቡ እንዲያነቡ በሚከተሉት የማህበረሰብ ሚድያዋች በመቀጠም
ያካፍ

Ethiopia: South Sudan Government, Rebels to Hold Talks

December 31, 2013 (VOA News) –Ethiopia says South Sudan’s government and rebel leader Riek Machar are sending delegations to Addis Ababa for peace talks.

The Ethiopian government announced the negotiations Tuesday, the day the East African bloc IGAD had set as a deadline for the two sides in South Sudan to hold face-to-face negotiations.

More than two weeks of violence in South Sudan continued Tuesday with fresh fighting in the key city of Bor, which government forces recaptured from rebels last week. The French news agency quoted a rebel spokesman as saying fighters backing Machar had re-taken control of Bor.

Tuesday’s fighting followed renewed calls by the United Nations and African Union for an immediate end to the fighting.

Statements from the U.N. Security Council and the A.U.’s Peace and Security Council late Monday said dialogue should begin immediately between President Salva Kiir and Machar, his former vice president.

The African Union also urged Kiir’s government to release detained political leaders, and threatened to impose sanctions on those who continue to incite violence.

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni visited Kiir on Monday, and warned Machar to sign a cease-fire deal or face action from its neighbors.

The IGAD statement last week did not include a threat of force, but said the group would “consider taking further measures” if fighting continued.

The medical aid group Doctors Without Borders said Monday tens of thousands of South Sudanese have fled Bor since violence broke out there last week between government troops and the Machar-backed force – the so called “White Army.”

White Army youths are known for the white powder they use to cover their skin as an insect repellant. Like Machar, they are ethnic Nuers while President Kiir and his loyalists are ethnic Dinka.

The tribal violence erupted earlier this month, when the president accused Machar of attempting a coup. The United Nations says the fighting has left more than 1,000 people dead and displaced tens of thousands.

Source: VOA News

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2013: The Year of Ethiopia’s Rising Cheetahs in Review

Sunday, December 29, 2013 @ 07:12 PM Alma

Alemayehu G Mariam

In January 2013, I proclaimed, “2013 shall be the Year of Ethiopia’s Cheetah Generation.” I promised “to make my full contribution to uplift and support Ethiopia’s youth and to challenge them to rise up to newer heights.” They rose to greater heights.  I pledged to “reach out to them, teach them and preach to them”. I feel proud that I was able to deliver on my promise.  In December  2013, I was delighted and immensely gratified to stand with Yilikal Getnet, Chairman of Ethiopia’s Semayawi (Blue) Party in Arlington, VA and show my solidarity with Ethiopia’s Cheetah Generation (young people).

In 2013, the Chee-Hippo Generation made itself known. I declared, “I am damn proud to be a Chee-Hippo”. There is a need to “invent” a new generation, the Chee-Hippo Generation. A Chee-Hippo is a Hippo (older generation) who thinks, behaves and acts like a Cheetah.  A Chee-Hippo is also a cheetah who understands the limitations of Hippos yet is willing to work with them in common cause for a common purpose. Chee-Hippos are bridge builders. They build strong intergenerational bridges that connect the young with the old. They build bridges to connect people seeking democracy, freedom and human rights. They build bridges across ethnic canyons and connect people stranded on islands of homelands. They bridge the gulf of language, religion and region. They build bridges to link up the rich with the poor. They build bridges of national unity to harmonize diversity. They build bridges to connect the youth at home with the youth in the Diaspora.”

There was a massive propaganda assault and arbitrary arrest and detention of young people protesting  against official interference in their faith and the way they seek to administer their religious affairs. The ruling regime in Ethiopia aired a one hour “documentary” entitled “Jihadawi Harakat” (“Holy War Movement”) purportedly aimed at exposing home grown Islamic extremists and terrorists preparing for a “holy war” to establish an Islamic government in Ethiopia. That outrageous,  malicious and dirty “documentary” depicted young Ethiopian Muslims as Al Qaeda operatives and terrorists in the vein of the vicious Boko Harm of Nigeria. I condemned that  nauseating and revolting documentary: “There are lies, naked lies, damned lies and sleazy lies. ‘Jihadawi Harakat’ is all four rolled into one.”

I celebrated my special heroes in 2013. I paid special tribute to Ethiopian journalists  Eskinder Negaand Reeyot Alemu, both of whom symbolize the plight of all young Ethiopian journalists imprisoned, persecuted, prosecuted and harassed by the dictatorship in power. These young journalists are heroes of a special kind to me because they represent the yearning of Ethiopia’s youth for freedom and the ongoing struggle against tyranny and for human rights in Ethiopia. They fought with nothing more than ideas and the truth. They slew  falsehoods with the sword of truth.  Armed only with a pen, they fought despair with hope; fear with courage; anger with reason; arrogance with humility; ignorance with knowledge; intolerance with forbearance; oppression with perseverance; doubt with trust and cruelty with compassion. Above all, they spoke truth to power and to those who abuse, misuse, overuse and are corrupted by power.

The world saw the abysmal depths of corruption of the ruling regime in Ethiopia in 2013. Corruption was everywhere — in construction, telecommunication, land, health, justice and education. Corruption in education is perhaps the most devastating because it impacts the youth so much. “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world,” said Nelson Mandela. For the ruling regime in Ethiopia, ignorance is the most powerful weapon you can use to prevent change and cling to power. They feed the youth a propaganda diet rich in misinformation, disinformation, distortions, misguided opinions, worn out slogans and sterile dogmas from a bygone era. They have made Ethiopia the “Benighted Kingdom” where ignoramuses are kings, queens, princes and princesses. Edu-corruption steals the future of youth. It permanently cripples them intellectually by denying them opportunities to acquire knowledge and transform their lives and take control of the destiny of their nation. As Malcom X perceptively observed, “Without education, you are not going anywhere in this world.” Could Ethiopia’s youth go anywhere in this world trapped and chained deep in the belly of a corrupt educational system?

In mid-2013, Ethiopia’s young people had an awakening. Semayawi (Blue) Party led thousands of young protesters in the streets of the capital demanding the release of political prisoners, religious freedom, respect for human rights and the Constitution and public accountability.  They demanded action on youth unemployment, inflation and corruption.  I was inspired: “The long youth march to freedom and dignity has begun in Ethiopia. It is beautiful. It is beautiful because it is peaceful. It is beautiful because it is motivated by love of country and love of each other as children of one Mother Ethiopia. It is beautiful because Ethiopia’s youth in unison are shouting out loud, “We can’t take anymore! We need change!”

In the Rise of the Blue Cheetahs, I argued that Ethiopia’s young people are rising and creating a special kind of change that flows form the fertile imagination of the youth. They are imagining a brave new Ethiopia. They don’t want the old Ethiopia built on a foundation of ethnic division, tribal affiliation, religious sectarianism and communalism. They want gender equality. I boldly asked, “Why shouldn’t they have their Ethiopia? We had ours, isn’t it time they have theirs?

When President Obama visited Africa in the Summer of 2013, I wrote two “flash dramas” (plays)  to add creative range to my commentaries and expand my reach to the younger generation of Ethiopians. The two youthful characters were not sure why Obama was “coming to Africa”.
…
Duma: Aah! Obama is coming back to his African roots, that’s good Shudi.
Shudi: No, coming to talk to Africans.
Duma: Talk… Sweet talk. Tough talk. Small talk. Talk peace. Talk war. Walk the talk. Don’t walk the talk. Talk the talk. Talk sense. Talk nonsense. Talk is cheap. Money talks, bull_ _ _ _ walks.  Talk, talk, talk…?
…

After Obama’s Africa visit, the two young protagonists rendered their judgment:
…
Shudi: Obama has come and gone…
Duma: Obama came and saw but did he conquer?
Shudi: He came. He saw. He left.

I offered President Obama my humble suggestions to empower Africa’s youth when he launched his “Power Africa” initiative. I urged him to empower the youth before “powering Africa”. I agreed with President Obama that Africa has a power problem and that he is part of that problem. “Africa needs protection from thugs-cum-leaders who abuse power, misuse power, confuse power and excuse and justify their abuse and misuse of power. President Obama is already powering Africa.  The question is not whether to power Africa but how to protect powerless Africans from those dictators America has powered and empowered by doling out billions of dollars in aid, loans and technical assistance every year. If he wants to power Africa, he should begin by empowering ordinary Africans against those who abuse and misuse their power. He should power up the youth grid that remains unused, abused and disused by those who manage the political power grid. He should use the billions of dollars of annual aid to disempower the few powerful African thugtators and empower the hundreds of millions of African youth.”

I celebrated the young people who led the American civil rights movement on the 50^th anniversary of the 1963 March on Washington. Martin Luther King who began his civil rights struggle at age 26 dreamed about creating the “Beloved Community” in America which “will require a qualitative change in our souls as well as a quantitative change in our lives.” MLK’s “Beloved Community” is a society free of racism, poverty and militarism. It is a community of love and justice where brotherhood and sisterhood founded on the principle of compassion and caring define the meaning of social life. MLK said “nonviolence is the answer to the crucial political and moral questions of our time: the need for man to overcome oppression and violence without resorting to oppression and violence. Man must evolve for all human conflict a method which rejects revenge, aggression and retaliation. The foundation of such a method is love.”

I called for a “renaissance of Ethiopian youth” in 2013. I argued that if Ethiopia is to have a “renaissance”, a “rebirth” or “revival” of any kind, it could only come through the blood, sweat and tears of her young people, and not from fables invented by despots and their mouthpieces. I believe young Ethiopian entrepreneurs are the tip of the spear in leading the country into an economic renaissance. Young Ethiopian scholars should lead the forces of intellectual transformation. Young Ethiopian scientists and engineers should lead the country into self-sufficiency and global competitiveness. Young Ethiopian lawyers should carry the sword of justice. Young Ethiopian leaders must be the dynamic agents of social and political change and lead Ethiopia into a bold and brave 21st Century.

Young Ethiopian migrant workers faced outrageous violations of their human rights in Saudi Arabia in 2013. Saudi police, security officials and thugs hunted down Ethiopians in the streets, beating, torturing and in some cases killing them. The video clips of Saudi police torturing Ethiopians are shocking to the conscience. The video clips of Saudi mobs in the presence of police and security officials chasing, attacking and lynching Ethiopians in the streets were proof of crimes against humanity. The “foreign minister” of the regime in Ethiopia apologized to the Saudi regime for abusing Ethiopian migrant workers, “Ethiopia would like to express its respect for the decision of the Saudi Authorities and the policy of deporting illegal migrants.” He added, what is happening to Ethiopians in Saudi Arabia “may be accepted when nations are at war to deport like this in a very rapid fashion people may understand, but not in peaceful situation.”  In other words, the migrant workers are to blame for the abuse they suffered. He gave new meaning to the old expressions, “Never bite the hand that feeds you.”

It was time to say goodbye to the great Nelson Mandela, My African Prince. I never met Nelson Mandela. I wish I had just for the opportunity to say “Thank you!” Nelson Mandela was a bridge builder. He built bridges across racial, ethnic and class divides. Nelson Mandela was a fireman. He saved the South African house by dousing the smoldering embers of racial and ethnic strife with truth and reconciliation. Nelson Mandela was a pathfinder. He built two roads named Goodness and Reconciliation for the long walk to freedom, and walked the talk.  Nelson Mandela was an architect. He built a magnificent tower of multiracial democracy on the ashes of apartheid. Nelson Mandela was a magician. He pulled a white and a black dove out of a hat at once and let them fly free. Nelson Mandela was the greatest alchemist who ever lived. He transformed hate into love, fear into courage; doubt into faith; intolerance into compassion; anger into understanding, discord into harmony and shame into dignity. I delivered Mandela’s Message to Ethiopia’s youth. “Do good, forgive and reconcile in creating your Beloved Ethiopian Community. Try without the promise of success; try in the face of failure, doubt and uncertainty. Try even when tired and just can’t go on. Try when there is no hope. Try again after succeeding. Try like Mandela tried.”

In 2013, I became a Witness for Semayawi  (Blue) Party. I support Semayawi Party because it is a political party of young people, for young people and by young people. It is a party that aspires to represent the interests of the vast majority of Ethiopians (70 percent of Ethiopia’s population today is under age 35). Ethiopia’s young people continue to pay for democracy, freedom and human rights with their blood, sweat and tears. Ethiopia’s best and brightest have been persecuted, prosecuted, jailed, brutalized and  silenced. At the top of the list are Birtukan Midekssa, Eskinder Nega, Andualem Aragie, Reeyot Alemu, Bekele Gerba, Abubekar Ahmed, Woubshet Taye, Olbana Lelisa, Ahmedin Jebel, Ahmed Mustafa, Temesgen Desalegn, the late Yenesew Gebre and countless others. I regard “Semayawi Party Movement” to be an organizational mechanism to articulate the dreams and ideals of Ethiopia’s young people about the country they want to build for themselves and pass on to the next generation. I urged all to be silent no more and to take a stand with Semayawi Party Movement.

Ethiopia’s youth: Rise like lions and cheetahs after slumber and build your “Beloved Ethiopia”

The dominant theme in the Year of Ethiopia’s Cheetah Generation was to never, never give up on their dream of inventing their own “Beloved Ethiopia” — free from ignorance, ethnic hatred, communal strife and gender inequality. I say it has been a great year for Ethiopia’s Cheetahs; but their work is not done yet. They have a long hard walk ahead of them. They must pass through perilous valleys, climb craggy mountains and cross raging rivers before they get to their destination. I urge them to keep on walking courageously. I urge them to take comfort in the poetic words of Percy Bysshe Shelley who stood up for those young people engaged in peaceful nonviolent protest in 1819 facing the heavily armed cavalry of the corrupt, brutal and vicious  British tyrants:
…
Let a vast assembly be,
And with great solemnity
Declare with measured words, that ye
Are, as God has made ye, free!
…
And if then the tyrants dare,
Let them ride among you there,
Slash, and stab, and maim and hew,
What they like, that let them do.
…
With folded arms and steady eyes,
And little fear, and less surprise,
Look upon them as they slay
Till their rage has died away.
…
Rise like Lions after slumber
In unvanquishable number,
Shake your chains to earth like dew
Which in sleep had fallen on you-
Ye are many — they are few…

Ethiopia’s youth: Rise like lions! Rise like Cheetahs!

Amharic translations of recent commentaries by the author may be found at: http://www.ecadforum.com/Amharic/archives/category/al-mariam-amharic and http://ethioforum.org/?cat=24

Previous commentaries by the author are available at: http://open.salon.com/blog/almariam/  andwww.huffingtonpost.com/alemayehu-g-mariam/

http://addisvoice.com/ result 

Ethiopia’s New Plan to Hunt, Kill or Maim Ogaden citizenry in the Diaspora

December 29, 2013 (Ogaden Online) — The Ogaden Online News Network’s investigators have received confidential  information about a new clandestine plan to hunt, kill, maim, or intimidate, at the very least, the Ogaden citizenry in the Diaspora  especially in the Kenyan refugee camps and those present in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi.

This plan is spearheaded by the Ethiopian Intelligence using the Ethiopian military personnel at the Moyale, Kenya border, the Ethiopian embassy in Nairobi and members of its Kilil personnel both in Kenya and in JigJiga.

What the Ethiopian intelligence has done over the past one year is to collect the names, family history and even the pictures of the Ogaden leaders at the Kenyan refugee camps. They have also obtained, from those who have defected in the past six months, the same information concerning the leaders of the Ogaden citizenry living in the Kenyan capital.

What they have done with the information is to dispatch Somali members of the Kilil personnel to the Kenyan refugee camps and to Nairobi so they can have presence in the camps and in the capital city, Nairobi. These members were instructed to telephone the identified leaders in the refugee camps  with threats of them being killed if they do not help the Ethiopian regime. The refugee camp leaders were then called from many numbers as to multiply the threats of death or maiming of the leaders being called.

At times, the Ethiopian intelligence and its Kilil personnel have used, contrary to all international norms, the parents, siblings, or even spouses of these individuals who might still live in the Ogaden to relay their threats. The Ethiopian intelligence used the same tactics against the members of the Ogaden citizenry in Nairobi, Kenya.

The Ogaden Online News Network’s investigators were able confirm more than a dozen such threats being relayed to leaders both in the Kenyan refugee camps and those present in Nairobi, Kenya. The team also witnessed a botched one such operation where the Somali operators and their Ethiopian handlers could not pinpoint their target and they resorted to asking their target whether he was such and such individual not once but on two separate days and times.

Luckily the individual pretended to know nothing about what he was being asked and before he realized what was happening on the second day, the Ethiopians and their Somali collaborators hastily left the area. Before the Ethiopians fled, the Ogaden News Network Investigators were able to snap pictures of the six individuals that were involved in the botched operation.

The team was also able to trace some of the telephone numbers where the threats originated from. Most of the numbers were sourced from the Ethiopian embassy in Nairobi. There were two specific numbers that also were traced to the Ethiopian military at the Moyale border.

One specific number was directly traced to an International calling card that is known to be used by the Kilil head in JigJiga. Using a number of techniques including cell tower information, the team was able to identify four cellphones that were ONLY used during set hours and ONLY used from identified hotels frequented by the Ethiopian intelligence members in the Kenyan capital.

Currently the Ogaden News Network’s investigators have completed the collection and corroboration of the information of all those involved in the planning and the implementation of this heinous crime against the Ogaden citizenry. We are in the final stages of ascertaining the role of each individual be they Ethiopian military personnel, intelligence or their Somali collaborators in the Kilil or outside of it.

Once we complete this final step, we will be publishing the entire plan with the locations, times and dates of the planners’ meetings; and the dossier of the individuals involved in this plan to hunt, kill, maim or intimidate the Ogaden citizenry. We will publish the names of the individuals, pictures – where possible, their role in the plan, the cellphone numbers they frequently use, and the list of individuals each was assigned to either eliminate or at the very least force them into hiding. Stay tuned for our next dispatch.

–
Source: Ogaden Online News

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The Port of Assab: With or Without Ethiopia

By Madote,
There is this lingering
misconception among Ethiopians and a

few regional analysts that Eritrea was
financially gaining from Ethiopia when
it used the port of Assab between
1991-1997. They also believe the
port’s economic viability hinges on
whether Ethiopia uses it at a future
date.
These narratives are even more prevalent among the so-called opposition. For
example, Awate.com, an Ethiopian-backed extremist website, said:
“For Asseb to make any significance as a source of revenue for Eritrea,
it has tosell its services to its neighborhood customers. Djibouti doesn’t
need that service, Sudan doesn’t. Somalia, Yemen, Saudi Arabia and
anyone and his stepfather doesn’t need that service. Ethiopia does and
it is not buying that service.”
Similarly, In 2000, Meles Zenawi, the late Ethiopian Prime Minister, said:
“So if we use the Port of Assab, the benefit is not only for us, but for
Eritrea, too. On the other hand, if we decide against using Assab, then
the fate of Assab would remain to be a mere source of drinking water
for camels. I made this clear to the diplomats. No more, no less. If we
do not use the port of Assab, then the Eritrean government won’t get a
single cent from Assab.”
Both these quotes suggest Eritrea needs Ethiopia to use its ports as a source of
revenue or else, as Meles puts it, it will be a mere source of drinking water for
camels. Ignoring the fact that animals can not drink sea water, Meles’ point is
simple: without Ethiopia, Assab port will be nothing. But is this claim accurate?
Not quite.
When we compare the year Ethiopia stopped using Eritrea’s port (1998) with the
year it used it (1997), we only see a 48% decline in the number of vessels docking in
the port of Assab, which isn’t bad when you take into consideration Eritrea’s small
population, and the fact that Assab is not the country’s main port.
As a result of the conflict, activity at Assab port declined markedly:
some 322 vessels docked at the port in 1998, compared with 628 in the

African leaders try to advance peace talks between South Sudanese president, his rivals

By JASON STRAZIUSO and RODNEY MUHUMUZA
Associated Press

JUBA, South Sudan — African leaders tried Thursday to advance peace talks between South Sudan’s president and political rivals he accuses of attempting a coup to topple the government of the world’s newest country.

As fighting persisted in parts of South Sudan’s oil-producing region, Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta and Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn had “a constructive dialogue” with South Sudanese President Salva Kiir, according to Kiir’s foreign minister. But the fugitive former deputy president who now leads renegade troops was not represented, and no political breakthrough emerged.

The next round of meetings will be held in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi, where regional leaders under a bloc known as IGAD are to meet Friday to discuss a report from Thursday’s meeting, South Sudanese Foreign Minister Barnaba Marial Benjamin said.

Kiir agreed “in principle” to stop hostilities and to negotiate with former Vice President Riek Machar, who is expected to be formally invited by IGAD to attend upcoming peace talks, said Benjamin, who offered no details.

It was not possible to reach Machar, as his known phone numbers were switched off.

Government troops are trying to retake control of Bentiu, the capital of Unity state, from forces loyal to Machar. Fighting was also reported in Malakal, capital of Upper Nile state. Upper Nile and Unity comprise the country’s key oil-producing region, raising concerns that unrest there could cut off the economic lifeblood of the young nation, which gets nearly its entire government budget from oil.

Citing more progress against rebels on the battlefield, South Sudan’s minister of information told reporters that national forces on Thursday regained “full control” of Malakal. Michael Makuei Lueth said “criminal elements” had been looting the town, but the army now had it under control.

Military spokesman Col. Philip Aguer said government troops were “preparing to retake Bentiu as soon as possible.”

The fighting has provoked fears of a civil war in the country that peacefully broke away from Sudan in 2011 following a 2005 peace deal.

The United States, Norway and Ethiopia are leading efforts to open peace talks between Kiir and his political rivals. Kiir said in a Christmas address that he is willing to “dialogue” with all his opponents.

In this photo released by the Kenyan Presidential Press Service, Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn, left, South Sudanese President Salva Kiir, middle, and Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta, right, in peace talks meeting at State House in Juba, South Sudan, Thursday, Dec. 26, 2013. The leaders of Kenya and Ethiopia arrived in South Sudan on Thursday to try and mediate between the country’s president and the political rivals he accuses of attempting a coup that the government insists sparked violence threatening to destroy the world’s newest country. (AP Photo/Kenyan Presidential Press Service)

In this photo released by the Kenyan Presidential Press Service, Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn, left, South Sudanese President Salva Kiir, middle, and Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta, right, in peace talks meeting at State House in Juba, South Sudan, Thursday, Dec. 26, 2013. The leaders of Kenya and Ethiopia arrived in South Sudan on Thursday to try and mediate between the country’s president and the political rivals he accuses of attempting a coup that the government insists sparked violence threatening to destroy the world’s newest country. (AP Photo/Kenyan Presidential Press Service)

The United Nations is investigating reports of mass killings since violence began spreading after a Dec. 15 fight among the presidential guards that pitted soldiers from Kiir’s Dinka ethnic group against those from the Nuer ethnic group of Machar.

South Sudan’s top U.N. humanitarian official, Toby Lanzer, said Monday that he believes the death toll has surpassed 1,000.

Although the capital, Juba, is now calm, fighting appears to be expanding, stretching the limits of humanitarian workers and aid agencies. The U.N. humanitarian office said aid agencies need $166 million to save lives amid the continuing violence.

The money will be used to provide water, sanitation, shelter, food and health care, plus protection for vulnerable people, the office said in a statement.

Some 58,000 people have taken refuge in and around U.N. bases in South Sudan, and more than 92,000 have fled their homes as a result of fighting, according to the U.N.

The U.N. Security Council last week voted unanimously to beef up its peacekeeping force in South Sudan. It called for an immediate end to hostilities and the “opening of a dialogue.”

Hilde Johnson, head of the U.N. mission in South Sudan, said she expects some military reinforcements and equipment to arrive in 48 hours to help protect civilians seeking refuge at U.N. bases.

Before the 2005 peace agreement, the region that is now South Sudan fought decades of war with Sudan. One of the world’s least developed countries, it still has pockets of rebel resistance and sees cyclical, tribal clashes that result in hundreds of deaths.

Muhumuza reported from Kampala, Uganda.

Associated Press writer Cara Anna at the United Nations contributed to this report.

Ze-Habesha Website may contain advice, opinions, and statements of various information and content providers. The Website neither represents nor endorses the accuracy of information or endorses the contents provided by external sources. All blog posts and comments are the opinion of the authors.

Freedom is never given voluntarily, it has always been earned

By Ibrahim Amae Elemo, M.D., M.P.H | December 27, 2013

Dear Friends and Colleagues, Obboleeyyan Oromoo akkam jirtu, nageennii isan badhaadhaa:

The bigotry against the Oromo people continues unabated to date. It is an established historical fact that the Oromo people, the Somali and other peoples of the South were conquered and incorporated into the Abyssinian Empire at the end of 19^th century through an earth scorching policy and savagery of Menelik’s army supported by western powers such as the Great Britain and France. Twenty years ago we were close to defeating the remnants of the genocidal regime of Menelik and Haile Selassie had it not been for the voice of moderation by some politicians in the Oromo Liberation camp. Back then some of the Oromo elites wanted to give peace a chance, wanted to negotiate with the colonial settlers. They chose the path of peace and reconciliation. We recall the famous saying of Leenco Lata, “I am not an Ethiopian. However, I would like to negotiate to be an Ethiopian”. The answer to that offer from these remnants twenty years later is the formation of the revivalist groups who are planning to tour Oromiya to dance on the graves of the millions of Oromo martyrs and other peoples of the South who were brutally massacred while defending their homeland. The aftermath of the conquest was what we now know as one of the worst slave trade empire built by Menelik. I can hardly imagine the extent of the brutality when hundreds of thousands of Oromo children were taken way from under the arms of their loving parents and sold into slavery; tragically, several of whom died en route owing to harsh conditions. These were a people, reduced in to slavery and tenancy, were once the master of their own destiny and produced to the world a civilization superior to the Abyssinian civilization in East Africa.  This is also an established historical fact.

Today, many Oromo scholars, including myself, are profoundly enraged by a decision of a beer company to sponsor a singer that diminished the memory of the victims by glorifying the legacy of one of the worst tyrants of the modern Ethiopian empire into the Abyssinian hall of fame. This may cause the buried emotions of the Oromo nationalists to re-emerge again. There are millions out there, including myself, are willing to lead the Oromo people to a full victory through a well-controlled and disciplined struggle. We don’t like to see bloodshed between the oppressor class and oppressed masses, like what we have witnessed in Rwanda. The unwise campaign of these ignorant, never learning and unrepentant sons of our colonial masters may lead to undesired consequences. This is our worst fear. We remember what Dr. Gamachu Magarsa recently said when he was asked about his take on the Oromo people being bullied by the northern “superior race” of Ethiopia from one generation to another. He said “what will happen may not be good for them and for us as well”. That is the voice of moderation we hear from some of our elites. Even these very elites who are working to prevent the worst case scenario from happening are despised and bullied non-stop by the Abyssinian chauvinists.

Freedom is never voluntarily given. It has always been earned! Which means we Oromos must be willing to pay the necessary sacrifice to earn what all people love, cherish and celebrate every year, Freedom! Talking about earning what you deserve, I always remember what I told one of the college professors on the occasion of my graduation from Gondar College of Medical Sciences after I was suspended and penalized for a year and half for leading students’ protest against the current regime in Ethiopia. She said, “Congratulations Dr. Ibrahim, we have given you your degree and now you are ready to leave us”. I then boldly told her “Dear Dr. Thank you for congratulating me.  You may have given others their degrees. But, as far as I am concerned, I earned it.”  Just to distinguish myself from others who bowed to the puppets and all bullies in order to graduate from college with a degree. I was willing to pay the utmost price, and I knew I was not alone. I knew there were millions who suffered and continued to suffer.  They needed me more than I needed my very much desired degree, they needed us. The purpose of this short piece is to show our ignorant brothers in the opposite camp that they must cease and desist from their provocative actions. That is precisely what most of us want in this counter-campaign.  Or else, they are responsible for all the consequences of their campaign to re-conquer Oromiya.

Last but not least, it is worth mentioning the fact that judging by their past rhetoric the forces currently ruling Ethiopia may not be on the side of these sycophants who are so blind as to see the irreversible change of the mind sets of the oppressed masses of Ethiopia. Finally, I would like to conclude by using the words I used to love hearing from the mouth of my late Somali friend, Abdida’ad Ibrahim Bulala, whom I proudly call my Oromo friend, , Egereen kan Ummata Oromooti!

Ibrahim Amae Elemo, M.D., M.P.H

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Mentally disabled Ethiopian housemaid faces beheading in Saudi Arabia

December 26, 2013

The Horn Times Newsletter December 26, 2013
by Getahune Bekele-South Africa

In the first place, the charge was motivated by conjugation of hate and barbarity common in Saudi Arabia. Unable to disavow the accusation labeled against her without a lawyer or even an interpreter, with her hair disheveled and her face hoary with terror, eyes darting from one corner to the other, the Ethiopian woman stood before three heavily bearded Islamic judges silent and motion less.

She does not remember her own name and no one knows for how long she has been subjected to severe abuse by her Saudi employers. No passport or travel document was found in her possessions. The Horn Times is still trying to establish her real name and family address back home in Ethiopia.

Despite the great discrepancy between the police and her employer’s version of the incident, the 26-year-old mentally disabled woman was sentenced to death on Tuesday 24 December 2013, in the capital Riyadh for allegedly killing her abusive employer’s six-year-old girl, Lamis, by slitting her throat.

The court’s bizarre verdict based on conjecture and confession obtained under coercion by the notorious Saudi police, once again exposed the stone-age nature of the country’s legal system, which remains at odds with the international norm or practice.

According to the charge sheet, the battered Ethiopian housemaid slit the throat of Lamis, 6, with a kitchen knife   in July 2013 at Hota Bani Tamim, just South of Riyadh. An hour later, police found her trying to hide in the back yard of her employer’s house. Police alleged that the woman resisted arrest and put up a fight but was overpowered and taken into custody.

Delivering the verdict, the presiding judge told the mentally unwell Ethiopian woman who were muttering cryptic words to appeal against the death sentence within 30 days if she wishes to. Under such mental state, it was not clear if the condemned woman was cognizant of her rights.

From sleep and food deprivation, wealthy Saudis are known for dehumanizing foreign domestic workers by isolating them from friends and family, making them to work extra hours, and viewing them as cheap labor or mere commodities. Rape and forced confinement for weeks or months with no payment are still common.

To millions of housemaids from the Philippines, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Indonesia; the name Saudi Arabia is a connotation of demonic cruelty and 7^th century Arabian barbarism.

According to records, Saudi Arabia has a yearly average of 100 executions and publicly beheaded 27 housemaids in 2010 alone and most of those put to death were vehemently denying any wrongdoing till to the last minute.

Amnesty international says some of those who committed crimes such as murder either were defending themselves or mentally challenged because of prolonged abuse and unspeakable suffering at the hands of their employers.

International law prohibits the application of the death penalty against children under the age of eighteen at the time of the crime being committed, and the implementation of the death penalty on persons suffering from mental retardation or extremely limited mental competence.­

However, in January 2013, the Saudi Arabian regime executed an eighteen year-old Sri Lankan maid Rizana Nafeek arrogantly brushing off international condemnation. Several mentally retarded maids were also mercilessly beheaded as the international community continues to tolerate the barbaric oil sheikdom’s nefarious stubbornness.

infohorntimes@gmail.com

Time to Bring Eritrea in From the Cold By Hank Cohen, AllAfrica December 26, 2013 Semayawi Party to address Houston before Seattle Ethiomedia December 26, 2013

The late Meles Zenawi and Isaias Afwerki of Eritrea signing the Algiers Agreement, a document maily the work of Meles Zenawi to nail Ethiopia as a landlocked country for ever.

Editor's Note - In 1991, when the Derg fell, US peace mediator Herman Cohen reportedly favored that Eritrea keep Massawa while Port of Assab remain with the much larger neighbor, Ethiopia. The enemy to Cohen's proposal was the late Meles Zenawi, an Eritrean mercenary from Adwa. He is largely credited with turning TPLF rebels into enemy soldiers that would fight against their own country.
When war broke out in 1998, which was largely the making of Mr. Zenawi's "appeasement policy" toward his country, Eritrea, the Tigrians couldn't find the gut to remove the enemy who had misruled Ethiopia for nearly eight years. TPLF officials said they didn't want to show "division" to the enemy (in this case, Eritrea) and sought "unity" that kept Meles in power.
Actually, they were scared to remove Meles from power, eventhough they were aware that he would no doubt help Eritrea win the war over Ethiopia; eventhough they were aware that the entire Ethiopia people would erupt with joy and celebration that finally the enemy within is caught and brought down to justice.
Calls from Tigrians in North America (who were members of a now-defunct TigraiNet forum] for the removal of Meles Zenawi fell on deaf ears. Meles kept a low profile and helped win over Badme (a battle) as a confidence-building measure before he gets time and strike back without mercy. He waited for another more year, and aborted a victory-laden final offensive (killed the war) that was sending Eritrean soldiers in disarray over the border to the Sudan.
The BBC or Reuters asked Cohen what would be the next step of the 'triumphant Ethiopians.' Cohen said the Ethiopians will right the wrong, and reclaim the all-important Port of Assab, a sharp remark which deprived Meles a good night's sleep.
Right the next morning, Mr Meles Zenawi called for a press conference in Addis, and without quoting Cohen, dismissed Cohen's claims as baseless. "Ethiopia will never take an inch of an Eritrean territory [let alone Assab Port]," he asserted.
After Meles sabotaged a clear Ethiopian military victory, TPLF officials half-heartedly tried to accuse their boss of "treason." With one strike, Meles turned them to dust, and emerged an undisputed strongman. In August 2012, Meles was taken care of by a divine power, but to this day, failed-state Ethiopia remains in the hands of his disciples, masked mercenaries who deceptively call themselves 'Woyane.'
Though Meles has died, the TPLF officials [not the Eritreans crowding the TPLF poliburo], are skeptical that Meles has really died, because no one is daring to write the true history how a generation of Tigrians were reduced to foot soldiers, and fought a war that made their country landlocked.
Below is a piece by Herman Cohen over the Ethiopia-Eritrea stand-off. Write us what you feel. Thanks.

---

After being part of Ethiopia for forty years, the people of Eritrea held a referendum in April 1993 and decided to establish an independent state.
The referendum took place in the aftermath of a thirty-year insurgency against two successive Ethiopian regimes waged by the Eritrean Peoples Liberation Front (EPLF).
At the same time, an allied insurgent group, the Tigrean Peoples Liberation Front (TPLF), took over power in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, after the military collapse of the Soviet-supported regime headed by President Mengistu Haile Mariam.
Between 1993 and 1998, the two "brother" governments of Eritrea and Ethiopia, headed by the EPLF and TPLF, enjoyed excellent relations.
They maintained a common economic system that allowed landlocked Ethiopia full access to the Eritrean Red Sea ports of Asab and Masawa, including control of their own handling facilities for the transit of cargo.
The relationship started to cool in 1997 when the Eritreans created their own currency, the Nakfa. They did this without arranging to establish a system of daily settlements for cross border trade between their currency and the Ethiopian Birrh. This could have been done through a facility provided by the International Monetary Fund.
Without such a facility in place, the Ethiopian Government announced that all cross border trade had to be settled in US Dollars. This resulted in a financial setback for Eritrea because of its limited access to hard currencies.
In 1998, the Eritrean Government complained that Ethiopian government representatives, including police, were beginning to encroach on Eritrean territory near the border town of Badme in southwest Eritrea. According to Eritrean sources, four of their police officers who went to Badme to investigate turned up dead.
Again, the Eritreans said that they had no choice but to retaliate with military force against the alleged Ethiopian encroachments and murder of their policemen.
The Ethiopian Government denied all of the Eritrean allegations about encroachments and the killing of Eritrean policemen, claiming that the Eritrean military attack was totally unjustified.
Instead of negotiations, the Eritrean action triggered a massive Ethiopian armed response, unleashing a major bilateral war that lasted two years, and that caused approximately 100,000 dead and wounded on both sides.
Under Algerian Government mediation, a cease-fire was accomplished in 2000. In view of the border as the ostensible main issue in contention, the Algerians established the Ethiopia-Eritrea Border Commission (EEBC) to arbitrate the exact boundary line. While the EEBC was doing its work, the long border remained heavily armed on both sides.
The results of the EEBC arbitration upheld Eritrea's main claims on the border delineation. The Ethiopian Government made a public statement agreeing to the arbitration result, but insisted that it would not proceed to delineate the final border settlement until they could have bilateral discussions with Eritrea.
The Government of Eritrea declared that it was open to discussions without any preconditions, but insisted that Ethiopia first had to delineate the border pursuant to the arbitration decision. This total stalemate in the bilateral relationship has continued until the present, with both governments holding to their inflexible positions.
Because of the stalemate, the border has remained heavily armed on both sides. This situation has caused particular hardship to Eritrea. Because of the country's small population, young men conscripted into the armed forces to patrol the long border have had to serve for indefinite periods without knowing when they would be demobilized and returned to their families.
As a result, over the past decade thousands of young Eritrean have 'illegally' left their country to seek asylum in the other countries, including Ethiopia, Egypt, Israel, the Emirates and southern Europe.
In addition to the expensive armed camps on both sides of the border, the situation of 'no peace - no war' has resulted in a total stoppage of cross border trade, and the loss to Ethiopia of Eritrea's convenient nearby ports for Ethiopia's exports and imports.
Ethiopia's only access to the ocean since the war began has been via the 900 mile antiquated railway from Addis Abeba to the port of the neighboring country of Djibouti at the entrance to the Indian Ocean from the Red Sea. In addition to the long distance between Djibouti and Addis Abeba, port fees in Djibouti are excessively high.
To make matters worse, both Ethiopia and Eritrea have become ensnarled in the chaos of Somalia since that government collapsed in 1991.
The rise of the Islamist group Al Shabab, with abundant assistance from al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula caused Ethiopia to send troops to Somalia at various points from 2006 to the present day.
Between 2006 and 2010, the security crisis in Somalia has caused relations between Eritrea and the United States to deteriorate badly. In 2008, the George W. Bush Administration declared Eritrea to be a "state sponsor of terrorism", thereby triggering US trade, investment, and travel sanctions against Eritrea and its leaders.
The reason was the identification of Somali Islamist extremists attending a Somali political dialogue meeting in Eritrea. Indeed, this caused the US Government to become so enraged that the American Assistant Secretary of State for Africa expressed to desire to reopen the EEBC arbitration decision in order to favor the Ethiopian border claims. This request was not adopted.
The Obama administration accused the Eritrean Government of allowing the transit of arms to Al-Shabab - the reason for this alleged support being that Eritrea wanted to help an enemy of Ethiopia, thereby putting pressure on its neighbour to implement the arbitration decision.
In 2009, Senior Etritrean officials met in Rome with the American Permanent Representative to the UN, Susan Rice, and the US Assistant Secretary of State for Africa, Ambassador Johnny Carson.
The American delegation was apparently not satisfied with the Eritrean rebuttal of the allegations about their allowing the transit of arms to Shabab.
There were also accusations of Eritrean support to insurgents opposing the Ethiopian regime from within. As a result, Ambassador Susan Rice introduced a resolution in the UN Security Council calling for sanctions against Eritrea.
The resolution, UNSC 1907, was enacted in a watered down version of the original harsh US draft, but nevertheless caused Eritrea to become something of an international pariah. This situation continues.
However, as far as external support for Shabaab is concerned, all available intelligence indicates that Eritrea has not had any contact since 2009.
Earlier intelligence reports, denied by Eritrea as fabricated, indicated Eritrean facilitating the transfer of funds to Shabaab - nothing of that sort has been reported since 2009 by any source. Those of us who know Eritrea well understand that the Eritrean leadership fears Islamic militancy as much as any other country in the Horn of Africa region.
In recent months, positive signals have been coming from both countries. Eritrean President Isaias Afewerke has been quoted as saying that Eritrea cannot fulfill its destiny without Ethiopia.
The Prime Minister of Ethiopia, Hailemariam Desalegn, has said that he is willing to go to Eritrea to engage in dialogue. In short, the wartime tensions of 1998-2000 no longer have a logical basis for continuing to exist. Normalization of Ethiopian-Eritrean relations promises a win-win future for both nations.
In view of the absence of any intelligence, real or fabricated, linking Eritrea with Shabaab for over four years, the UN Security Council should terminate sanctions imposed in 2009 by UNSC resolution 1907.
Since European Union governments have maintained normal relations with Eritrea since the country's independence, one of the European members of the UN Security Council should propose a resolution to end the sanctions. The US should agree to abstain rather than veto such a resolution.
To break the stalemate between Eritrea and Ethiopia over the implementation of the EEBC boundary decision, there needs to be a mutually face-saving solution. I propose that Ethiopia offer to accept a symbolic initial takeover by Eritrea of territory awarded by the EEBC, followed by the same day opening of dialogue with a totally open agenda.
This dialogue could have the benefit of a neutral mediator, or not, depending on the wishes of the two governments. Here again, one of the neutral Europeans should have the ability to inspire confidence in both sides.
A normalization of relations, following the end of UN sanctions against Eritrea, would have immediate benefits for both countries.
A resumption of Ethiopian use of Eritrean ports would provide economic benefits to both countries with trade resuming in both directions. Both sides would also be able to demobilise the border with important cost savings.
Both countries, of course, continue to have important human rights issues. Normalization of bilateral relations would make it easier for the US and the international community to encourage political and governance reforms.
Finally, the normalization of relations between the United States and Eritrea would open the door to military-to-military cooperation of the type that would enlist Eritrea in the war against Islamic terrorism in the Horn coming from across the Red Sea.
Yes, the time has come to bring Eritrea in from the cold.

Herman J. 'Hank' Cohen is Former Assistant Secretary of State for Africa.Ethiomedia.com - An African-American news and views website. 
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