- TPLF says Amhara Democratic Party should not externalize its internal problems, and that it will find it difficult to work with if the party is doing so
- The ethnic Tigray party representing less than 6 % of Ethiopia’s 100 million population also seem to warn the Federal government not to take forceful measure against questions of statehood in South Ethiopia
borkena
July 11, 2019
Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), a party that was dominant in the Federal government and the ruling coalition (Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front – EPRDF) until it April of 2018, seem to see an opportunity to reclaim its influence over the federal government while attacking one of its major rivals in EPRDF, Amhara Democratic Party, over recent assassinations.
TPLF had a meeting this week in Mekelle over the political situation in the country – apparently its first meeting since the crisis situation that unfolded following the killings of three senior Amhara Democratic Party (ADP) leaders in Bahir Dar on June 22 and the killings of the Chief of Staff of the Ethiopian Defense Force, General Seare Mekonnen, on the same day in the Capital Addis Ababa.
According to a report by DW Amharic on Thursday, TPLF resolved that ADP has to take responsibility for the killings in Bahir Dar and Addis Ababa. Otherwise, said TPLF, it will find it difficult to work with ADP. The two parties are members of the ruling coalition – EPRDF.
In a statement that TPLF issued after completed two days of meetings this week, it demanded an investigation into the killings of the Chief of Staff of the Ethiopian Defense Force, General Seare Mekonnen, and his longtime friend – Retired Maj. General Gezai Abera. The party wants a neutral and independent body to handle the investigation and make the findings public.
The statement, as reported by DW Amharic, went on to accuse ADP saying that it has given a chance for what it called “chauvinist forces from different corners” to do what they want, and that, according to TPLF, is taking the country along the path of disintegration.
TPLF statement alleges that there is ideological confusion within the ruling coalition and that there has to be clarity. The party was critical of the role of foreign powers including the US in the past and there was a tendency among influential leaders like Aboy Sebhat that The U.S. government is behind the coming to power of Abiy Ahmed.
“EPRDF and the government of Ethiopia need to disclose their stand on the issue of national election which is supposed to take place next year,” is another key point that TPLF raised in its statement.
With regards to ADP, while the TPLF statement is calling for an investigation of the assassinations in Addis Ababa, it seems to be convinced that ADP is behind the killings so much so that it wants ADP to apologize Ethiopian people for the killings. “If ADP central committee externalizes its problem, TPLF will be unable to work with ADP,” said TPLF’s statement.
The government of Abiy Ahmed described the assassination of Dr. Ambachew Mekonnen, president of Amhara regional state, and two other senior regional government officials (Migbaru Kebede and Ezez Wasse), in Bahir Dar on June 22, and the killings in Addis Ababa as an attempted coup d’etat. Amhara regional state officials have accepted the narrative and linked the alleged coup d’etat with Brigadier General Asaminew Tsige who was killed outside of Bahir Dar, according to government sources, a day after the attempted coup d’etat.
Key TPLF officials, including the spy chief who remains at large despite repeated Federal court orders, were linked to many of the killings and displacements in the country after Abiy Ahmed became prime minister in April 2018.
Now TPLF seems to be seizing the situation in the country as a playing card to frame ADP as a problem for Ethiopia and broker new alliance with Oromo Democratic Party in the ruling coalition.
And what a considerable number of politicized Ethiopians tend to think is that Oromo Democratic Party, whose chairman is Abiy Ahmed, is a puppet of radical Oromo ethno-nationalists both from within the party and from outside of ODP and they see a possibility of new ODP-TPLF alliance.
Sidama question as a playing card
TPLF is also playing the statehood questions card. Last week, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed sent a stern warning for ethno-nationalists in Southern Ethiopia vying for statehood status to abstain from taking forceful steps in pursuit of statehood status, wait patiently or face law enforcement forces.
He was implying to the Sidama question. And he used Ethiopia-Somali region’s move to break away from the Federal government forcefully, which was put down by the defense force, as an example.
TPLF, on the other hand, opposed the move in Ethiopia Somali region. Now is it opposing similar moves. “An attempt to resolve the issue through force or any other means is never acceptable,” is TPLF stand on statehood demands.
On the other hand, Sidama ethno-nationalists sent an ultimatum that they will go ahead and declare Sidama a state on their own if the Federal government is not organizing the referendum.
Sidama nationalists have already put up a welcome sign board in the entrance of what they think is the boundary of Sidama state.
Join the conversation. Like borkena on Facebook and get Ethiopian News updates regularly. As well, you may get Ethiopia News by following us on twitter @zborkena
What do you mean by ‘TPLF will be unable to work with ADP’? That does not sound good and it is not right. I also heard that the ADP has responded in similar scathing terms. All I can say to these two fools is ‘stop it!!!!’ It once again proves to me that the part of every region is not as healthy as it is wished to be. They are infested by grand-standing connivers and those who are poisoned by bigots. We all know that the TPLF, the organization that was founded for a noble cause, was hijacked by sweet talking ruffians a long time ago.
After smart alecks managed to expropriate the house the noble people Tigrai built up with blood and sweat, they were able to change those gallant people into their beasts of burden. They don’t allow the slightest criticism. If you do that you will not know what hit you. It was told that they had gone as far as to slip in doses of lethal poison in meals to eradicate those who showed any signs of dissent. It was also told by one of their former comrades how every resident of that region was(is) left to always look over his shoulders. I did not make this up. I had read it in one of the interviews given by one of their former army commanders. Such is the environment over there as we speak. Just look at what they have done to one of the founders of their organization last week. He was extremely lucky to come out alive. Dare if you speak up! Dare even if you think about joining another group!!! Now is this the act/behavior of the common/woman of Tigray? Absolutely not!!!
Such environment is not confined to Tigray. It has existed in every region even though they are showing a reform here and a reform there. And all these ruffians and smart alecks are not going anywhere thanks to the ineptness and divisions of the opposition. They have also garnered unprecedented prestige and accumulated unthinkable fortunes to die for. They send their children to prestigious/exclusive schools when a Tigrayan farmer is ravaged by swarming fries and fleas. They drive their children to schools in government supplied cars when the child of the poor farmers of Tigray walks on foot for hundreds of miles in hope of making it the Arabian Peninsula or Europe and losing his life in the process. His family doesn’t get the chance to give their son/daughter a dignified burial. I didn’t make this up either. Just ask every top official of every region with school going children which school they are attending or attended. This is how hypocritical these sweet talkers are. Their mentors use to tell ‘Workers of the world unite!!!’ What they meant by that is ‘you just be one and united so you will be strong enough to carry me around with ease’.
What is very worrisome to me now is the danger of these smart alecks going after each other in full scale wars. The best advice of the day to all of them is to cool it!!!
Takele Uma and Abiy Ahmed are in a process of evaluating how to switch posts between each other ,the switch of posts between Takele Uma and Abiy Ahmed is planned for 2020 right after the national elections get postponed.
Takele Uma is said to be on track to become the Prime Minister of Ethiopia and at the same time in 2020 Abiy Ahmed is planning to become the Mayor of Addis Ababa.
Ethnic conflicts that threaten to tear Ethiopia apart are the result of the 1994 Constitution, introduced by then-Prime Minister Meles Zenawi and the Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front governing coalition. The constitution recast the country from a centrally unified republic to a federation of nine regional ethnic states and two federally administered city states. The system of ethnic federalism was troubled with internal inconsistencies because ethnic groups do not live only in a discrete “homeland” territory but are dispersed across the country. Non-native ethnic minorities live within every ethnic homeland.