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Ethiopian Organizations in the Diaspora, many of whom have been supporters of what Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government projected as a reform agenda, are now revealing frustration with the government over failure to deliver promises.
In an open letter to the Prime Minister, the organizations said “our faith in your leadership and hopes for real change have succumbed to broken promises.”
They also see potential state collapse unless Prime Minister Aiby Ahmed’s government resorted to the principle of inclusiveness so as to “move Ethiopia out of the dilemma your administration has put her in.”
A total of fifteen Ethiopian organizations are listed as signatories to the open letter to the Prime Minister.
Full content of the open letter is featured below :
“Global Ethiopian Diaspora Open Letter,
To the Prime Minister of Ethiopia,
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
March 8, 2023,
Dr. Abiy Ahmed Ali,
The Ethiopian Diaspora has supported you and your administration in our hope for a generational transformation in Ethiopia. The Diaspora has also been a critical catalyst in sending much-needed remittance, direct investments, funds to save lives and alleviate the suffering caused by drought and conflict, provision of public health advice, materials during the COVID pandemic, as well as diplomatic and financial support for the construction of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) on the Blue Nile.
On November 4, 2020, when TPLF launched an attack on the Ethiopian National Defense forces (ENDF) stationed in Tigray and expanded the conflict by invading the Amhara and Afar regions, the country faced an unprecedented diplomatic nightmare. Ethiopia was faced with crippling economic sanctions and immense pressure from the West and the international media. We organized and facilitated advocacy campaigns, provided diplomatic support, and lobbied the United States Congress, the United Nations, and other global bodies. We joined forces with pro-peace pan-African allies and staged massive worldwide protests to say “#NOMORE” and became the voice that Ethiopia was denied on the global stage.
We, the undersigned diaspora organizations globally, are leaders and key contributors who worked day and night on these and other efforts to help our native country in multifarious ways. While doing so, we gave you the benefit of the doubt focusing on the threat to Ethiopia’s sovereignty and unity despite your party’s controversial legacy of driving ethnic or identity politics. This, unfortunately, made us often look at defending the indefensible. We acted in good faith, guided by your promises and pledges to the Ethiopian people.
Regrettably, our faith in your leadership and hopes for real change have succumbed to broken promises. The fact of the matter, however, is that, unfortunately, the country is in an abysmal situation five years after you accede to power. We are therefore obliged to write this open letter to you.
The following are some of our concerns and disappointments:
- We are watching in horror the unabated human rights violations under your stewardship. Ethnically targeted mass arrests, summary executions, restrictions of free movement, and free speech, and grave crimes against humanity continue to be committed at scale, with the complicity of your administration.
- Those at home who voice dissent or challenge your policies, including journalists and human rights activists, are jailed. The number of prisoners of conscience unjustly jailed across Ethiopia has surged.
- The pattern of your administration’s actions or lack thereof in critical matters of national interest has broken the public’s trust. You have consistently ignored the rules of the parliamentary system by making unilateral decisions on essential items without even a semblance of interest in listening to alternative opinions.We are also watching with grave concern as your administration works to rehabilitate the criminal enterprise of TPLF while the TPLF is openly and blatantly violating the terms of the Pretoria peace agreement.
- We are dismayed at your administration’s tolerance of the wide-scale human rights violations, most notably in Oromia, and the admitted entanglement of Prosperity Party officials with the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA), a group parliament labeled as terrorists.
- Horrific crimes against humanity, including gruesome reports of lynchings, rapes, and beheadings, have been committed on civilians, most notably targeting the Amharas, Orthodox Christians, and minority groups like Gurage and Gedeo, just to name a few.
- Genocidal acts against Amhara civilians, resettled in Western Oromia during the 1980’s famine, continue with utter impunity.
- The pattern of collaboration among local officials, police, and security forces appears to demonstrate an organized ethnic-cleansing campaign rather than isolated tribal attacks. This has rightfully outraged Ethiopians and human rights activists throughout the world.
- In contravention of the Constitution, your administration has played politics with religion. It has directly interfered with the affairs of religious institutions and undermined spiritual leaders.
- Most notably, the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church has been targeted, including the recent tragedy in Shashemene, where several churchgoers were shot dead by Oromia security forces.
- You have been in power for five years! Beyond the creation of the ineffective “national dialogue commission,” there has been no genuine effort or sense of urgency to end the failed TPLF-EPRDF apartheid-like ethnic politics or to reform the ethnic-based Constitution. Instead of liberating Ethiopia from the shackles of tribal politics, your administration regrettably has chosen to normalize and expand the inequities of institutionalized tribalism.
- The mass displacement of over 3.6 million people has made Ethiopia a land with the world with the highest number of internally displaced people (IDPs).
- Actions by your administration under the pretext of urban development, including the forced demolition of non-Oromo-speaking citizens’ homes in the suburbs of Addis Ababa, are making the IDP crises even worse. Homes are being bulldozed on thousands of men, women, and children without warning or contingency plans.
- The rule of law requires that laws be applied equally, but your administration applies the Constitution arbitrarily and capriciously. A new ethnic-based region was created in southern Ethiopia for one ethnic group (Sidama) while simultaneously denying similar requests for other ethnic groups (Gurage and Wolayita.)
- Security forces have shot at civilians, including peaceful protestors in Wolkite (ወልቂጤ) and churchgoers in Shashemene (ሻሸመኔ) towns. Security forces who kill civilians are never brought to justice.
- Your administration’s undertaking of the country’s recorded history is questionable. The unmatched tolerance for groups defacing or demolishing cultural heritages and national symbols, the systematic tribalization of pan-Ethiopian institutions, and the demographic engineering in multicultural cities are deeply troubling.
- Your administration has focused on a single ethnic cultural revolution rather than multiculturalism. The issue of Addis Ababa’s ownership, the nation’s capital city and diplomatic capital of Africa, resonating with a single ethnic group takeover is outrageous. It will open the door to a never-ending ethnic conflict and bloodshed.
- Repressive actions such as banning the Ethiopian heritage flag and harassing people who wear these pan-African colors have now been escalated to prohibiting people from celebrating Adwa’s victory at Menelik Square in Addis Ababa.
- On March 2, 2023, your security forces stormed and desecrated St. George Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church during a church ceremony and indiscriminately tear-gassed people, causing several injuries and even death. The unprovoked attack on peacefully assembled citizens demonstrates a complete disregard for the rule of law and the emergence of a police state.
- During the last five years, the country’s borders have become defenseless. The country’s sovereignty is being routinely violated, notably in areas bordering Sudan and South Sudan.
- Like its predecessors, your administration has failed to ensure food security. According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), over 20 million people need “targeted assistance.” The latest calamity is in Borana. The Government is too busy with image building by exporting wheat and “managing” damages on all fronts through the securitization of ethnicity.
- Rampant corruption and nepotism within the Government are growing alarmingly, with the soaring inflation and total failure to make the Ethiopian economy manageable.
The gross negligence of your administration to redress these problems, and in some cases, support or ignore criminal activities of Federal and Oromia regional government officials, has allowed the culture of impunity to flourish at scale. The responsibility for why and under whose authority such problematic policies have been pursued lies on you — the Prime Minister, the Head of Government, and the Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces.
Unless a targeted and decisive corrective action is taken, Ethiopia will be the only country in the world that is directly involved in working against itself and on a path to self-destruction. History will judge our society, your government, and, above all, you personally, on how effectively you handle these crises.
The Ethiopian Diaspora is therefore obliged to be a voice for the voiceless Ethiopian people. Now is your opportunity to demonstrate that you can honor your pledges. Therefore, we request your administration to act with urgency to immediately change this dangerous trajectory and take decisive corrective actions to right the wrongs, protect the citizenry of Ethiopia, and redress grievances.
At stake is the survival of Ethiopia as a nation. To avoid the trajectory of State collapse, your government must be inclusive of all stakeholders to move Ethiopia out of the dilemma your administration has put her in.
May God bless Ethiopia! And Her people! “
__
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This is just too confrontational. There should have been a better way making the points. But what amazes me the number of the organizations who allegedly wrote the open letter. Why the need for so many? Let’s take some examples. There is one group that calls itself Global Ethiopian Scholars Initiative and there is another just next to it calling itself Network of Ethiopian Scholars. There are more examples of duplicating names. Worldwide Ethiopian Civic Associations, Ethiopian American Civic Council and another one by name American Ethiopian Public Affairs Committee. Such disassociation of groups is a reflection of the political situation on the opposition. Has this all been just naming contest? Just put yourself in the policy making department of any Western powers. Let’s say you have made a decision to take to an opposition or civic group. You will have an acute spell of vertigo attack from just going through the list. This does not include those other groups having fit to ‘liberate’ their ‘people’ not people in general but specific group of people. If you had those bigots who have bases at university orphanages ’employed’ as professors you may just pass out due to exhaustion. Very sad indeed!!!
The likelihood of the neophyte in office changing his cursed course of the past five years and downward spiraling trajectory is virtually zero, none, nada, zilch!!!! He will not be able to enforce the law. If he attempted, 99 % of his prosperity party members, cadres, sycophants and himself included would go to jail. በራሱ አንደበት እኮ ተናግሯል: “የሁሉም እጅ በደም የተጨማለቀ ነው” በማለት::
If the forcefully amalgamated SNNRP region in Ethiopia, comprising some 70 + ethnic groups, and nearly 50 % of the Ethiopian population, starts to attain statehood, just like Sidama did ( recall Sidamo was a province, Gamo Gofa was a province, Harrarge was a province etc), what will ensue???? The more the SNNRP population attains statehood, the smaller and smaller the expansionists so called oromia region gets, and it will get cut to size (which true to its true form has been swallowing up one ethnic group after another as it annihilated the Dauro and others in Ethiopia for centuries in the past).
What the pm referred to as “Medemer” when he first showed up at the political arena 5 years ago, is now almost 100 % resembling the Mogassa tradition of the oromo from the 16 th century. His commitment to justice and due process is non existent. All that drama for the arrest of General Kinfe over the Metec scandal, not a squeak not even a smack on the hand from Abiy on the embezzlement and diversion of public funds by his mayor adanech on renovation of City Hall, purchase of public transportation buses, etc.
ሰውየው እኮ: የፍርድ ሚዛን ላይ: ጣት ጭኖ ማዳላት አይደለም: ከነአካትዮው ራሱ ወጥቶ ሚዛኑ ላይ ሙሉ ለሙሉ ተወዝፎ የአትዮጲያን ህዝብ አይኔን ግንባር ያድርገው : ሚዛኑ ዜሮ ነው እንጂ ኦሮሙማ 100 ኪሎ አይልም ብሎ የሚከራከር ሰው ነው::
In 1984, George Orwell clearly depicted the situation in Oceania:
‘How many fingers, Winston?’
‘Four! Stop it, stop it! How can you go on? Four! Four!’
‘How many fingers, Winston?’
‘Five! Five! Five!’
‘No, Winston, that is no use. You are lying. You still think there are four. How many fingers, please?’
‘Four! five! Four! Anything you like. Only stop it, stop the pain!
……………………….
You are a slow learner, Winston,’ said O’Brien gently.
‘How can I help it?’ he blubbered. ‘How can I help seeing what is in front of my eyes? Two and two are four.
……………………
The pain flowed into Winston’s body. The needle must be at seventy, seventy-five. He had shut his eyes this time. He knew that the fingers were still there, and still four. All that mattered was somehow to stay alive until the spasm was over. He had ceased to notice whether he was crying out or not. The pain lessened again. He opened his eyes. O’Brien had drawn back the lever.
‘How many fingers, Winston?’
‘Four. I suppose there are four. I would see five if I could. I am trying to see five.’
So just like Winston, the average Ethiopian has tried to see five fingers when there have been actually only four, despite Abiy’s insistence that if only Ethiopians tried hard enough they could see five fingers indeed. Wheat production is up despite wide spread domestic food insufficiency in Ethiopia. Interestingly, Choco rations were up 17 % in Oceania too in 1984.
So is 2023 Abiy’s Ethiopia an Orwellian version of the 1984 Oceania that Winston witnessed?
Old Amara አማራ ሸኔ Wine in New Bottle: Look, more Amaras live in other zones than in the Amara Zone: ≥15 million in ‘Oromia’; ≥3 million in Addis; ≥2 million in others. Most are from Gojjam & Gonder [G&G] and most are also Economic Refugees. Yet, no Oromo lives in G&G. ኦነግ ሸኔ has killed thousands of Oromos & displaced ≥2 million in Oromia. Wollega is ≤20% of Oromia and most of the 15 million Amaras don’t even live there.
No Short Cut to Power: To build a democratic Ethiopia, there is an Electoral Board headed by Birtukan [survivor of TPLF’s gross human rights violations]. You’re welcome to renounce foreign citizenship, go to Ethiopia, run in elections, win and run Ethiopia.
Abiy & Ethiopia: Abiy is a millionaire [Nobel Prize] & loses nothing if he quits. TPLF left Ethiopia paralysed to fight back: No Money; No Army; No Police; Ethiopia-wide riots staged by Egypt/WSW/TPLF’s Proxies; etc. Could you have kept Ethiopia afloat despite that & death hovering over you – youtu.be/Pg3WuF1eXww?t=5 – ?
Beware of Ethiopian Diaspora Intellectuals’ [EDI] Crocodile Tears for Ethiopia: As soon as Abiy took power, he invited all EDI to join him to tackle Ethiopia’s age-old ills! Almost all chose to serve the White Supremacist West [WSW] for better pay & benefits.
Famine + World’s Poster Child of Poverty + We Are the World: Most EDI are beneficiaries of former regimes that STARVED Ethiopians and made Ethiopia SYNONYMOUS with “Famine + World’s Poster Child of Poverty” AND turned “We Are the World” in to the World’s National Anthem for Ethiopia! Do you want them back in power?
Continued below; please see: “Q: What have ALL of you combined done for Ethiopia…?”
Q: What have ALL OF YOU COMBINED done for Ethiopia that is remotely comparable to Abiy?
Abiy kept Ethiopia afloat despite TPLF/OLF/OLA/IFLO*-staged targeted assassination; COVID; Egypt-WSW-orchestrated Riots & Proxy Wars; WSW-imposed drastic Birr devaluation; WSW’s embargo/sanctions & aid/loan cancellations; drought; IDPs*; etc.:
1). Abiy kept TPLF-bankrupted Ethiopia afloat with $1 billion from UAE’s Prince MBZ.
2). Unlike the EDI, Abiy REFUSED to sell Ethiopia to Egypt & Egypt’s WSW Patrons. He also repulsed Proxy Wars unleashed via their Dogs: TPLF, OLF/OLA/IFLO, etc.
3). Child-Friendly Ethiopia: Feeds 10 million students twice a day; gives free school supplies; built many primary & secondary schools with sale from his Medemer* book;
4). Citizen-Feeding Ethiopia: All-in-one Mega Bakeries built in populous towns sell bread at rock bottom prices; Addis feeds 45,000 twice a day at 15 community centers;
5). Citizen-Rescuing Ethiopia: Over 700,000 rescued from degrading life & flown home;
6). Abiy built a World-Class Robust Ethio Defence Force & Law Enforcement Agencies from scratch WHILE dismantling the ones that served-and-protected TPLF for 27 years.
7). Abiy built World-Class Industrial Parks that employ thousands of Ethiopians: Akaki-Kaliti, Nazret, Awassa, Debre-Berhan, Bahir-Dar, Kombolcha, Dire-Dawa, Jimma, etc.
8). Agriculture has flourished: From begging for wheat to surplus; millions of hectares of mechanized & irrigated farms; farmers got hundreds of farm machinery, pumps, etc.
9). Abiy’s Dinner Fund-Raiser Projects for World-Class Parks and Tourism: Mesqel Square, Entoto Park, Unity Park, Friendship Park, Gorgora, Koisha, Wonchi, etc.
10). Massive miscellaneous projects are completed or on track – AGAINST ALL ODDS:
i). Electrification [Hydro/Wind/Solar/Geo], industrialization, mechanization, Telecom;
ii). Addis shot from open-air public toilets [rivers, empty lots, etc.] to world-class city;
iii). Affordable housing projects, shanty town upgrades, sports facilities, etc.;
iv). Road Networks: 450 km asphalt in Gojjam alone, Abbay Bridge at Bahir-Dar, etc.
*IFLO: Islamic Front for Liberation of Oromia – defunct but embedded in OLF/OLA
*IDP: Internally Displaced People
* First Medemer sale ≈Birr 111 million: fanabc.com/archives/29187
You sound like Pente !
And you sound dumb.
What’s your point exactly?
If anyone thought Ethiopia can be fixed in one week or year they are fools. Imagine inheriting such a diverse nation that only cares about identity politics more than they care about the economy and development. There’s no way it can be fixed that easily. Abiy alone can’t do it. On top of that you’re forced into a war in the north by wicked demons like the tplf and got shene on the southern side and a drought in the Borana region. How is one man supposed to fix all of this by himself? Ethiopia is a mess and will continue to be a mess for a long time. It’s possible to fix but people need to help fix it and not only be a critical voice. Why don’t these EDI go back to Ethiopia and try to make a difference there?
This is nothing but the truth when it comes to be honest with what has been happening for the past good five years. Despite his humbleness, the PM and his foresighted leadership deserves huge credits for all unbelievable jobs done in the fields of military achievement, economic performances and his success in politics and international diplomacies which, in my opinion, could not be done in 50 years.
Therefore, as an ordinary citizen that loves his motherland, Ethiopia, i would hereby love to thank his excellency, Dr Abiy Ahmed, a thousand times. I would also like to extend my gratitude to the person that has put these realities in black and white, for me, you are a true scholar that loves his country and tells the truth fearlessly to the world.
mind your words – shimellis the oromo goon does not like the word Nazareth (only adama). Your veneration of Abiy is over the board, although I should say I like his gardening and landscaping skills. We knew the oromo had something up their sleave for millennia – now is their time to strike and reestablish the oromo republic of the legend book The olf/ols/ofc are hell bent on doing it – armed to the teeth, cleansening their beloved oromia of non-oromos earnestly…only intervention by the international community can void an ethnic massacre that will make the Rwandan one look like a party. God save us.
Do you realize many oromos are pro-Ethiopia but are afraid to say anything. On top of that racist people like you add fuel to the fire and further divide us. Oromos aren’t your enemies. Rather it’s certain politicians and political parties that follow the strategy of divide and conquer. Grow up and stop being racist.
15 Amhara supremacist groups masquerading as “Ethiopian!” Call them fools and cowards; they provided logos and hid names! How stupid.
better late than never. i await the next open letter that acknowledges Abiy Ahmed is THE primary national security threat and that he must be removed by any means necessary . . . for the survival of the nation. It is foolish to hope that he will change and get us out of the ditch he purposely drove Ethiopia into. Wake up people.