“When the shepherd becomes the wolf, the flock has no refuge.” – Ethiopian Proverb
By Habte H.
A Nation Betrayed by Its Own Leader
In Ethiopia’s long and storied history, leadership has faced war, famine, and internal unrest. But never before has an Ethiopian leader so directly turned against his own citizens as Abiy Ahmed has. Across centuries, even at their harshest, rulers sought to preserve the life of their people, if only to preserve their own throne. Under Abiy’s leadership, that ancient line of responsibility has been utterly broken.
Millions have already perished or been forced into lives of relentless misery. Had Abiy been wise, he would have surrendered power or sought meaningful negotiation. Instead, he chose to wage war against his own people, primarily the two major ethnic groups who make up more than two-thirds of the country.
In Ethiopia, there is a saying: “A tree that fights the wind breaks its own branches.” Abiy has chosen to fight the very roots and branches of Ethiopia’s survival – and, predictably, the tree is breaking.
The Inevitable Fall: Lessons from History Ignored
History, if he cared to learn it, offers countless warnings. Abiy himself once remarked that “the defeat of the Dergue was certain the moment it fired its first bullet against the people, even if it took 17 years to collapse.”
Today, he walks the same doomed path. The first shot fired against peaceful citizens sealed his fate; only the painful passage of time remains before it is fully realized.
Great leaders recognize when a cause is lost. I admire Meles Zenawi and Haile Mariam for this very reason. When Meles faced overwhelming political challenges after the 1997 E.C. elections, he turned toward negotiation, not destruction – through he misbehaved at the end. When Haile Mariam faced insurmountable rebellion, he ultimately stepped aside, understanding that clinging to power would only deepen Ethiopia’s suffering.
It is a mark of education, wisdom, and humanity to know what is possible and what is impossible. Abiy, by contrast, stands bitten by the same snake twice-first by ignorance, second by arrogance. In Ethiopia, elders say: “A fool is bitten twice by the same snake-the first out of ignorance, the second to show for others.”
A Leader Who Fights His People Fights Himself
The heart of Abiy’s failure is simple: he fights not an enemy army but his own citizens. Oromo, Amhara, Tigrayan -the people he needs to lead, not defeat.
No ruler wins a war against his own people. Every bullet fired deepens the abyss; every displaced family lays another brick in the tomb of his legacy. Abiy’s war is not a war for Ethiopia’s survival-it is a war against Ethiopia’s soul.
In public memory, leaders who murder hope are never forgiven, no matter how loudly they parade temporary victories. Ethiopian history will record not the grandeur of Abiy’s speeches, but the graves dug during his rule.
There is another saying we often hear in the villages: “The fire you light for your neighbour burns your own fence first.” By waging war on his own citizens, Abiy has set fire to the very house he was trusted to protect.
The End Is Written – Stop the War Before It Burns Everything
It is painfully clear: Abiy Ahmed’s defeat is inevitable. Fighting against one’s own population is like trying to hold back the river with bare hands. No matter how many dams he builds, the flood is coming. It is not a question of if-only when.
Yet the most haunting question remains: How many more lives must be lost before he accepts reality?
Ten thousand? A million? Two million? The bleeding of Ethiopia will not redeem his pride, nor restore his broken authority.
In another Ethiopian proverb, we say: “It is better for the fool to fall early-so the village can move on.”
Abiy must recognize the moment. He must stop the war-by any means necessary.
Continuing to fight a war that is already lost only ensures that when he falls, he will drag much of Ethiopia’s future down with him.
Ethiopia deserves better. Its children deserve a tomorrow without war.
Its elders deserve to die in peace, not fear. Its youth deserve a leader who lifts them up, not a tyrant who holds them down. History already knows the end of Abiy’s story.
The only question is whether he will end it with some honor-or with more rivers of blood.
Editor’s Note : Views in the article do not necessarily reflect the views of borkena.com
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Sir, you are more drawn to emotional analysis rather than geared to realist political spectrum. The so-called OROMO and TPLF, FANO are below Liberation Front stranded in light of their Human right records and political aspiration. They fight to rule at expense of Mass grievances prevailing under Abey Regime. Your contention should be as activist intellectual to find what is the alternative political avenue be addressed to bring peace In Ethiopia. What is the role of Nativist Amhara intellectuals be in these political quagmires rather than Echoing Fano’s propagandas day and night.