Abiy Ahmed’s Latest Remark On The Conflict – Parables as Policy

Borkena

Toronto – State-owned media on Monday aired video footage of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, members of his cabinet, Shimeles Abdissa and EPRDF era officials during three days of retreat to Bale, South  Ethiopia.

From the video, it is organized in a way to showcase projects including in the historic Sofumer cave. It featured agricultural development projects involving over 130 kilometers of irrigation and tourism related projects at the Bale Mountain and the cave. 

The prime minister chaired an what he called an “informal meeting” to get the feedback from the officials. 

From the region’s president Shimels Abdisa (who is said to have leaked notorious hate speech and anti-Amhara expressions) to OPDO old guards like Abadula Gemeda and many other former top level officials of the Party were in attendance. 

From the former TPLF, figures like Getachew Reda, who is currently serving as the prime minister’s advisor on the Horn of Africa Affairs,  Tsadkan Gebretensae (former defense chief of staff) and Abraham Belay (who has been working with Prosperity Party) were also in attendance. 

Overall their remarks on the projects were positive.  However, the discussion on peace as a condition  for development merits a critical remark. 

The Prime Minister himself, has been the case since he took over power, mixes up parables and policy measures. In this particular situation , he offered a parable of two farmers who were praying for rain. One was doing it while digging a canal so that flooding could not damage his crop in the event of rain while the other did not do so. When the rain comes, says Abiy, the farmer who did not dig a channel witnesses his planted field washed away while the other one survived the  flood with the canal he dug. 

Only Abiy Ahmed knows how this parable is relevant to understand that “peace is not a priority for development.”Even most of the old EPRDF officials reflected  the tendency that “development” could bring about peace. Their perspective seems to be informed by the assumption that those who are in armed conflict do not have a political demand. 

The conflict in the Amhara region has been devastating in all its forms. Notably, conflict in the Oromia region is not as devastating as one Ethiopia experienced in Tigray and is experiencing in Amhara region.   The fano forces took up arms against the government after thousands of ethnic Amhara were massacred in Oromia and Benishangul regions. There were even instances where racial ethnic Oromo nationalist forces (they are presumed to have support from officials in the government structure) took what appears to be their wars of ethnic cleansing and expansion to the Amhara region.  Fano forces articulate that their armed struggle is aimed at reversing existential threats. Millions of ethnic Amharas who have been living in what is now the Oromia region continue to face persecutions. 

However, Abiy Ahmed framed the resistance rather as “banditry.” Not only it is demeaning, it represents determination on the part of the government not recognize the political demands. He also attempted to give it a historical context by making a reference to the struggle for power since the time of Emperor Tewodros.

Another key effort in this what appears to be a pure high caliber propaganda campaign is that it painted a dichotomy of a secessionist and hegemonic forces. Secessionist is clearly a reference to the TPLF and OLA forces. The Fano forces are deliberately framed as having a hegemonic goal which is clearly a misrepresentation.

There has been a criticism that his government does not have a genuine interest in resolving the conflict in the Amhara region through negotiation, and it seems to be the case. And his speech in the video below seems to confirm it.

Watch it and share your remark in the comment section. Alternatively, you can submit an OpEd piece. 

Video : embedded from Fana Broadcasting  YouTube channel
Cover photo : Screenshot from the video

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