By The Alula Aba Nega Collective
For democracy activists in Ethiopia, America’s support for the anti-democratic TPLF and her animosity towards democratic Ethiopia is incomprehensible. To use Churchill’s words, it is “a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma.”
Ethiopians have struggled against the ethnic supremacist TPLF dictatorship for 27 years. With the overthrow of the TPLF government in 2018, Ethiopia embarked on a tortuous and difficult path to institutionalize democracy. The rapid pace of the democratic transformation is a testimony to the intensity of the desire for democracy in Ethiopia.
What Ethiopia has achieved must be told, again and again, because American politicians, NGOs, and media seem to be determined to forget if not erase from history Ethiopia’s great democratic accomplishments in a span of less than a year.
Thousands of political prisoners were released from TPLF prisons. The secret TPLF torture centers and prisons that dotted the country were exposed and closed. Individuals and political organizations that were forced into exile under the TPLF regime were invited to regain the country and participate in the democratic process. Freedom of the press and academic freedom, which had disappeared under the TPLF—remember the journalists who were imprisoned, killed, and exiled; the 42 university professors that were fired summarily and forced into exile—were established. A peace agreement was signed with Eritrea, ending a senseless conflict, though the agreement was vehemently opposed by the TPLF. All these in less than a year!
On the heels of these rapid changes, the judiciary’s independence was recognized, the rule of law established, and an independent National Election Board set up. The political space was opened to all those who wanted to participate in the elections. All participants were allowed to campaign freely and the logistics of the elections were created and put into service openly. In 2020, Ethiopia had her first democratic elections in her history. Thus ended the “abiyotawi democracy” of the TPLF—an ethnic divide-and-rule scheme masquerading as democracy—and its mythocratic elections in the style of the Soviet Union.
The TPLF, which is ideologically, organizationally, and politically anti-democratic rejected the democratic transformation of Ethiopia and holed up in its ethnic enclave, and started plotting the overthrow of the new democratic Ethiopian government. Since two-thirds of the weapons of the armed force were positioned in Tigray, because of the Ethio-Eritrean war, and since the TPLF has systematically Tigricized the armed and police forces, as well as the intelligence services during its 27 years of dictatorship, the TPLF leaders were dead certain that they could route the Ethiopian army, capture Addis Ababa in a few weeks, and retake power.
The TPLF, by its own admission, launched an attack on the Ethiopian Defence Forces on 3 November 2020 and took over the weaponry that was positioned there to be used in case of another conflict with Eritrea. Though the TPLF has publicly and repeatedly admitted to have started the war, American politicians, NGOs, and media have scotomized this fact from their consciousness for reasons only they know.
The Ethiopian army, understaffed and under equipped, withdrew from Tigray and the Ethiopian government declared a ceasefire. Sure of its military superiority, the TPLF called the ceasefire “a joke,” rejected it, and invaded Amhara and Afar, sowing death and destruction in every village and town, destroying property, demolishing schools, hospitals, churches, mosques, and health centers, raping women, killing innocent farmers, razing homes and harvests.
However, despite its military superiority, the TPLF has failed to overthrow the democratic government, because the history of democracy is on the side of Ethiopia.
The anti-democratic and ethnic supremacist TPLF may be better equipped and supported by American NGOs, media, and politicians. But what the TPLF and its strange American bedfellows forget is the great lesson of history. Those who believe in democracy may be outgunned. But in the end, they always defeat tyrants and dictators, even if initially the tyrants and dictators appear to have the upper hand.
That democratic Ethiopia will eventually win is a historically foregone conclusion. In the meantime, however, millions of Ethiopians are suffering, because America’s inexplicable support to the TPLF is prolonging the war needlessly.
Which brings us to the question: why does democratic America support the anti-democratic TPLF against the democratically elected government?
Cynics may see this as a naïve question. They will point out that America has overthrown democratic governments and replaced them with anti-democratic ones in the past, to wit, the overthrow of Mosaddeq in 1953, of Allende 1973. However, one may rationalize that these American supported coup d’états took place in the era of the Cold War. At the time, it was considered fair game to oust governments that are independent-minded and replace them with those willing to serve American interests.
But we are neither in 1953 nor in 1973. The cold war ended in 1988. Ethiopia under Abiy Ahmed is a liberal democracy, inspired in many respects, by American democracy. Ethiopia is currently a shining example of an African liberal democracy. And 27 years under the anti-democratic TPLF has given her a strong immunity against dictatorship. That is why the TPLF cannot defeat Ethiopia.
So, why is democratic America trying hard to overthrow the democratically elected government and to facilitate the return to power of the anti-democratic ethnic supremacist TPLF? What prevents America from being on the side of democratic Ethiopia?
Would Mr. Antony Blinken answer the questions, please?
For Ethiopians who struggle for democracy, America’s support for the anti-democratic TPLF and her hostility to democratic Ethiopia is “a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma.”
Would Mr. Antony Blinken explain to us this “riddle,” for he is privy to the “mystery” and “enigma” that surround it?
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It seems your title is misleading.
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It seems you state a need to repeat, because “American politicians, NGOs, and media seem to be determined to forget if not erase from history Ethiopia’s great democratic accomplishments in a span of less than a year.”
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What you neglect to mention is that those American politicians,
NGOs, and media were told repeatedly for five consecutive months
that Eritrea was not involved in Tigray.
All that would
be proven a lie. A deception. A mislead.
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Please don’t use the “Eritreans were invited” and that Ethiopia
was entitled to such actions. Because Ethiopia is a binding
member of the UN, and the UNSC specifically mandates reporting
such activities. Those accords were set up to ensure a safer
world. And clearly we have seen when those accords are not
followed, things go bad.
.
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You state the TPLF, by its own admission, launched an attack on the Ethiopian Defence Forces on 3 November 2020? Could you cite that source. And please do not use the talk show guy Sekoture Getachew. Because when it gets down to court of law, Sekoture Getachew statements will not be the type of testimony that convicts somebody of a crime in the court of law.
We need strong evidence such as who who organized it, or ordered, or carried it out, under whose supervision. And we would expect much more follow up as how PM Abiy was able to conclude this was an action carried out directly by the TPLF and not some rogue element within. And certainly for him to determine all that in under 24 hours is quite an accomplishment.
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You have clearly made an unnecessary attack on the USA by stating, “The anti-democratic and ethnic supremacist TPLF may be better equipped and supported by American NGOs, media, and politicians. But what the TPLF and its strange American bedfellows forget is the great lesson of history. Those who believe in democracy may be outgunned. But in the end, they always defeat tyrants and dictators, even if initially the tyrants and dictators appear to have the upper hand. ”
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Can you provide the evidence that proves TPLF has received
any in-kind support by NGOs, media, and politicians? Otherwise
that is a false accusation. And trying to pass false accusations
as legitimate is a form of ill-democratic procedure.
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Further, can you provide exactly how America’s
“inexplicable support to the TPLF is prolonging the war needlessly.”
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If anything, the USA has tried its best to avoid getting involved.
The USA has repeatedly said it wants to know why aid is not getting to its
destination. And this is considered arming TPLF?
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A few things we should. The cold war began to end with the fall of the Berlin Wall in December 1989, and in December 1991, it was the dissolution of the Soviet Union that was considered the real end of the Cold War. But that Cold War with Russia remains very real. And the fact that we have Ethiopian Americans praising Putin and Russia as a friend and condemning the USA is a very serious act of treason I believe most Ethiopians are simply not American enough to understand the complex nature of doing that. Northing could cause every Ethiopian Restaurant in America to sustain physical damage than being used as a recruitment center to support Putin allies to promote Anti-Americanism. The prospects of real violence spilling over from Ethiopia onto the streets of America, shouldn’t be under estimated.
We could go own.
ethiopiawinet
The answer is the west’s antipathy to ADWA and the rising Ethiopian force that they have witnessed over the last 3 years. They want all Black People to remain poor and maimed – awed by the white man’s superiority. Poor thinking…..
It’s simple… it has absolutely nothing to do with democracy.
The Zionists that control the U.S. does not want to see any African nation to thrive as it will be a threat to their twisted agenda for global domination.
Because “Democracy in Ethiopia” doesn’t matter to the US. Having a partner in the strategically important Horn region does.
Cheers
MJ