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HomeEthiopian NewsCan Abiy Ahmed's government be trusted anymore? 

Can Abiy Ahmed’s government be trusted anymore? 

Abiy Ahmed and Shimeles Abdissa visiting coffee farm in Jimma on February 12, 2022 (Photo : EBC)

borkena
Editorial 

When Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed was picked as the chairman of the now defunct EPRDF, which entailed the post of premiership in the tradition of TPLF installed EPRDF system, in 2018, massacre against ethnic Amhara intensified in Wollega and Benishangul gumuz regions of Ethiopia. 

Authorities at different levels of government, including Abiy Ahmed himself, framed the horrifying massacres first as a mishap to reform. Ethiopians justified their patience with the view that the attacks from radical ethnic Oromo nationalists  will wane as the reform takes root. It turns out Abiy Ahmed’s power took root despite continued failure to deliver in terms of protecting citizen’s right to life and  to live and work in any part of Ethiopia. 

Later, Abiy Ahmed’s government  came up with the narrative that the massacres in Oromia, Somali, and Benishangul Gumuz region are the works of TPLF machination implemented through TPLF era networks across the country. That too was given the benefit of the doubt. 

Over four years now in power and with TPLF no longer in a position to plan instability in Oromo region of Ethiopia as it is preoccupied with saving itself from possible demise, Abiy Ahmed no longer have an excuse to his failure to protect Ethiopians from mass killing in the hands of the terrorist Oromo Liberation Front. 

The regional administration in the Somali region, under Mustafa Mohammed’s administration, has managed to do away with security threats targeting specific ethnic and religious groups in the region. All it took was reforming the Abdi Ille era security apparatus and diligently implementing the reforms. Apart from implementing policy measures, Mustafa Mohammed’s regional administration also demonstrated commitment in terms of tackling, head on, the vestiges of  TPLF/EPRDF era  ideological narrative that targeted ethnic Amhara Amharas as enemies and oppressor. His view that “The narrative that paints Amhara people as an oppressor is wrong” seems to have taken root, safe to say from experiences over the past three years, in the region. The result is that citizens are living and working in the region in peace.  

On the other hand, the Oromo region of Ethiopia continued to be hell for ethnic Amharas.  Abiy Ahmed, led Federal government, and Shilemes Abdissa’s regional government do not seem to be bothered at all. In the latest string of massacres earlier this week, 168 ethnic Amharas were brutally massacred in the region, and it is apparent that unidentified authorities at the regional level of government seem to have involvement in the massacre. The regional administration seems to have admitted it when it said that it will investigate some authorities. 

Yet, again, it is business as usual for Shimeles Abdissa and his boss (actually, it has become blurry as to who is the boss) Abiy Ahmed. Ethiopians have been in a mood of sorrow and anger over the unending massacre of innocent civilians in the Oromo region. Without giving a single statement, Abiy, who is known for sharing  a lengthy and obnoxious message on his social media over occasion, was rather engaged in what appears to be a cover-up image building campaign for Oromia region. The latest Wollega massacre was barely given coverage on government media, as has been the case most of the time, but Abiy Ahmed’s visit to a wheat farm is given attention.  Shimelies Abidissa on his part was hyperactive this week with an effort to create an image of “altruistic” Oromia regional state delivering cheques to this and that regional state as an expression of support to war and drought ravaged areas. Not just that, he spent money in Benishangul Gumuz and Gambella region for what some think to be a project of Oromization of smaller regional states. 

That aside, both Shimeles Abdissa and Abiy Ahmed are on the record that they understand the importance of expressing condolences, the least they can do, in the events of tragedy. Shilemes was televised crying when Hachalu Hundessa was killed, allegedly by the military wing of Oromo Liberation Front (OLF). Abiy himself expressed sorrow in public. FYI, hundreds of innocent civilians were massacred by “angry crowed” in the Oromo region  just a day after the assassination of Hachalu. 

As was the case in the past, this week’s massacre of ethnic Amharas in Wollega is, it appears, a non-issue to Abiy and Shimeles. For that matter, even ethnic Oromo opposition parties did not condemn the non-stop massacre of innocent Ethiopians in the region. 

So far, several thousands have been killed in the region since Abiy Ahmed came to power. The killing is systematic, meticulously supported by elements within the Oromia regional state structure. The massacre has all the signs of genocide. But it is happening over a long period of time so that it does not capture attention like Rwanda genocide. 

Abiy has certainly consolidated his power. He has fixed the army in a way he likes it. The security structure is restructured in a way to ensure that his government is secured. Ethiopians continue to be slaughtered in the Oromo region of Ethiopia. And it is happening while the regional state in the Oromo region is demonstrating to the public via state media (regional and federal) that it is emerging as an unprecedented economic and political power house.  Subtleties in building in local and international media, unprecedented profit making banks, and the imposition of language and culture in other regions are not unnoticed. It is just that the rest of Ethiopians are preoccupied with shouldering the burden of the cost of avoiding the disintegration of Ethiopia. 

It is also noticeable that Abiy Ahmed’s government has lost considerable support. But for those who are still giving him the benefit of the doubt, can he be trusted anymore? If there was a will, it could have been possible, like in the case of the Somali region, to stop the massacre of innocent civilians in the Oromo region. Abiy is part of the problem, there is no question about that.

Other regional states should not be silent about Oromia regional state structure supported massacre against Ethiopians. In fact, they should have evaluated Abiy Ahmed performance and hold him responsible at the party level. The parliament is as good as TPLF era parliament to the point that it is impossible to be cautiously optimistic about it.

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6 COMMENTS

  1. Only a complete fool that never learns from mistake and forgets the damage, lie and deceits may trust Abiy the strati faced lair.
    Abiy is coldblooded person who allowed TPLF and OLF to slaughter, loot and rape Amhara women, children, elders and people in Amhara region and in Wollega, where the Genocide is in active operation.

    Amharas must actively watch and protect Century Old land and people from another theft. Never let Abiy to deceit you again. TPLF is hungry to stead Amhara and Afar land and that should never happen. Tigray should stay as its Century Old Tigray before 30 years.

    Abiy has opened the door for TPLF to murder, rape and loot Amhara and Afar people for more than one year. .
    When Afar and Amhara are still fighting the war without any shame Abiy tells the war is over and won and went to entertainments and back door secretive negotiation with TPLF by sending Lemma Megersa as representative of Ethiopia.

    He is silent and never condemned when Amharas get slaughtered by OLF Oromo Genocide criminals in Wollega and Benishangul Gumuz.
    He never addressed and tried to find solution for the cause to Amhara Genocide that are living Benishangul Gumuz where it is known to be Amhara region for centuries until the TPLF and OLF scramble for Amhara land creation of after 1991 as Benishangul Gumuz Zone.
    In Wollega Genocide against Amhara is actively going because as in every other zones where other ethnic groups have representation Amharas living in Nazreth/Adama, Shashemene, Derezeit/Beshoftu or Wollega do not have representation.

    Therefore they are being victims for daily and periodically slaughtering’s by the Oromia Police and Oromia Administration lead by Criminal Shimeles Abdissa in covert action with Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) and Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) . The liberation front word speaks for its creation to separate from Ethiopia after Genocidal preparation that sees as Amhara as its threat.

  2. Keep guard for what these tribalists will do next – call a meeting of all OR clans and maybe establish an OR Republic. And then the tplf will come into the rest of the Amharaland and slaughter any one left. The OR goons will have finished heir share by then. All dne without any much noise. Pray for the God of Ethiopia.

  3. The old country which does not seem to know which way is up since the middle 1970’s has now reached to a point where it is about to exhaust its last chance. As if the political quagmire is not enough, it is being clobbered by devastating and lethal natural calamities. It’s children know the calamities are heading their way but have been incapacitated by the know-it-all smart alecks and bigots among them. These demons among them are standing on the way of the spirit of brotherhood by pitching one ethnic group against another. It is just like today’s Madagascar. That island nation has been beaten lifeless by two consecutive killer cyclones not too long ago and now there another cyclone heading it’s way with all its fury. The old country is being devastated by a stubborn drought that killed hundreds of thousands of domestic animals already. More than 10 million citizens are at risk of starving to death. In areas where is no drought millions of citizens are forced out of their centuries old domiciles with their homes and crops destroyed. In many of such placed it is believed that people there have given up the hope and desire to rebuild because they don’t see any guarantee that what they rebuilt will not be destroyed by hooligans again. It is high noon for that country now. It had seen the Haile regime overthrown in 1975 just to be replaced by a blood thirsty Mengistu. Then it saw Mengistu being chased out just to be replaced by smooth talking and well read despots. And now it has reached its last pit stop. There will be no more 2nd, 3rd, 4th or last chance this time around. This is it. It has either to shape up now or see another devastating cyclone bearing down on her. If that happens then the world will see its entire 120 million citizens on the move. What Syria? What Yemen? What Afghanistan? Those will look like a cake walk. 30 million in the direction of Kenya, 20 million in Djibouti, 30 million in Sudan and 30 million standing at the gates of Greece, Italy and Spain. The rest will be content to stay at home to butcher each other like savage badgers. It is not funny, ok?

  4. I don’t agree with the tone and tenor of this analysis. It is easy to attack a beleaguered government that is fighting a difficult situation across the board. Throwing a cheap shot like this from a safe distance in the West is easy and irresponsible.

  5. Wonder how do they manage to sleep at night Abiy & Shimles? And, seems they have children of their own, how does this PM manage to kiss his children, while less than 200 miles from his residence children are massacred. If this is called politics, then it is a bad one.

  6. Demagogue Abiy has the audacity to come out and preach after every murder of innocent Amhara to portray himself as a good natured man. He is heading a country where Amharas deliberately are NOT treated as citizens with same full rights and privilege’s of Oromos living in Oromia Zone. Demagogue Abiy and the PP never sees the this as an absurd, dangerous, unjust and abusive political system to Amharas that existed in Oromia, Benishangul, Dire Dawa and other parts of Ethiopia. Such evil system never exist in any other civilized country where one ethnic group is singled out for Genocide and abuse.
    It all cooked up by TPLF and OLF without involving Amhara participation only to inflict harm on the people of innocent and an unarmed Amharas .
    That is one of the main cause of Amhara massacre being operated by the Oromia Zone sponsored Police, OPDO officials, OLF/OLA.

    Now after feeling safe from TPLF attack and hoping to stay in power for 5 years Abiy has switched to the 30 years old before conceived OLF/TPLF plot to kill Amhara and blame Shene this or that.
    What he forgot is that Ethiopian have full power to decide for their country and throw him out whenever …… just like what happened to TPLF and Derg/Mengisu
    Shimelis on the other hand is consumed in arrogance and ignorance coupled with deceiving act as a philanthropist. He is handing out money stolen and looted from hard working Amhara farmers who are at the mercy of Shimles, OLF and Ormia zone administration treated as squatters instead of Ethiopian citizens.
    Abiy and Shimelis thinks they will live forever and their children will have safe and comfortable lives. It is easy to know that both don’t have faith or religion except worshipping money (Prosperity Party) at the expense of massacred Amahra farmers wealth . Who they sleep is the devil himself. They will burn in hell.

    Ethiopians must draft a new and fresh constitution and form a peaceful, impartial, fair system with real leaders, without those evil money and power grabbing coldblooded OPDO/EPRDF Prosperity Party demagogues.

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