By Tewodros Gezhagn
A Leader Who Turns a Blind Eye to Atrocities
Birtukan Temesgen’s story is not just a personal tragedy; it is a brutal reflection of the Ethiopian government’s failure, under Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, to protect its own citizens. Birtukan, a university student, was abducted and raped; an act of unimaginable cruelty. But what makes this even more horrifying is that it happened in a country led by a government that has consistently ignored, downplayed, and even enabled the systematic persecution of Amhara students.
Birtukan’s case is not an isolated incident. For years, Amhara students have been attacked, abducted, and even killed in Ethiopian universities, particularly in regions controlled by Oromo nationalist elements and the armed insurgent group, the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA/Shene). These atrocities have happened under Abiy Ahmed’s rule, yet he has chosen silence and inaction. His government has failed to investigate, prosecute, or even acknowledge these crimes, sending a clear message: Amharas are expendable in Ethiopia’s political landscape.
Abiy Ahmed: The Showman with the Strength of the Devil
Abiy Ahmed presents himself as a leader of undeniable strength a man who commands attention, shifts narratives, and plays with power as if he were above the laws of consequence. In many ways, he resembles the devil himself: he can create illusions, perform what appears to be miracles, and deceive even the wise. But no matter how powerful the devil seems, he remains the embodiment of destruction. Abiy Ahmed has demonstrated that same power bringing people under his spell with promises of unity and prosperity, while in reality, he sows hatred, division, and bloodshed.
His strength lies not just in his own cunning but in the shields that protect him. While many Ethiopians have come to see through his deception, a newly privileged class and beneficiary groups act as his armor. These groups, empowered by his rule, remain loyal because they feed off the destruction of others. Their silence, their defense of his actions, and their willful ignorance allow his tyranny to continue unchecked. They do not see the fire they are fueling, but when that fire grows, it will consume them too.
Abiy Ahmed’s Complicity: A Pattern of Neglect and Ethnic Violence
Since coming to power in 2018, Abiy Ahmed has presented himself as a reformer, winning the Nobel Peace Prize for making peace with Eritrea. But domestically, his government has overseen some of the worst ethnic-based violence in modern Ethiopian history. The Amhara people have been disproportionately targeted; massacred in Oromia and Benishangul-Gumuz, displaced from their ancestral lands, and left unprotected by the very state that claims to represent all Ethiopians.
When more than a dozen Amhara students were kidnapped from Dembi Dolo University in 2019, the government’s response was weak and dismissive. Families pleaded for answers, but Abiy’s administration never brought the perpetrators to justice. Similarly, the mass killings of Amhara civilians in Wollega, Shewa, and Benishangul-Gumuz have been met with silence or excuses. The Ethiopian government has even been accused of blocking information about these atrocities while continuing its propaganda of “unity” and “reconciliation.”
Birtukan’s suffering is the direct result of this environment of impunity. She was abducted and raped not just because of the attackers’ cruelty, but because they knew they would face no consequences. In Ethiopia today, raping an Amhara woman, killing an Amhara student, or displacing Amhara farmers does not lead to arrests or government intervention. Abiy Ahmed’s government has allowed this reality to take root and flourish.
The Failure of a Leader Who Promised Change
Abiy Ahmed rose to power promising unity, democracy, and security. Yet, under his rule, Ethiopia has descended into ethnic-based warfare, persecution, and state-sponsored violence. His security forces have cracked down on journalists, opposition figures, and even his former allies while turning a blind eye to the ethnic cleansing of Amharas.
His administration’s refusal to act on cases like Birtukan’s is not just negligence; it is complicity. Abiy Ahmed’s silence is not the silence of ignorance but the silence of calculated political survival. He has chosen to prioritize the interests of his power base over justice, allowing extremists within his government and allied groups to terrorize Amharas with impunity.
Justice for Birtukan and All Amhara Victims
Birtukan’s story should not be forgotten. She is not just another statistic in Ethiopia’s ethnic violence, she is a symbol of what happens when a government fails its people. The Ethiopian government, under Abiy Ahmed, has failed to uphold even the most basic human rights for its Amhara citizens. It has allowed systematic rape, displacement, and killings to go unchecked.
The international community, human rights organizations, and Ethiopians themselves must demand accountability. Abiy Ahmed must answer for his failure to protect innocent civilians. The silence that enabled Birtukan’s suffering must end, and those responsible, both the direct perpetrators and the political leaders who enabled them must face justice.
History will remember Abiy Ahmed not as the peacemaker he claimed to be, but as the leader who allowed ethnic violence, sexual violence, and lawlessness to flourish under his watch. And no amount of propaganda can erase the blood and tears of those who have suffered under his rule.
Editor’s Note : Views in the article do not necessarily reflect the views of borkena.com
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