Oh! Ethiopia

By Ephrem Madebo

Ethiopia is a country where Political, social, and economic inequality are century old trends that resurface as one dictator is replaced by another. In the last four decades Ethiopia has politically been unstable, its economy in shambles, and the country has socially been higgledy-piggledy. Ethiopia, the second most populace black nation on the planet, has always been crammed with poverty, starvation, and social injustice. The principal problem of Ethiopia has always been the existence of Ethno-nationalist groups who make use of governmental power to create and enforce public policies that advance ethno-nationalist objectives. In almost all cases, ethno-nationalist polices undermine the rule of law; and most awfully, constitutional laws are neither enforced nor drafted with equal protection in mind.

In 1990, when ‘Woyane’ changed its name from TPLF to EPRDF and got closer to Addis Ababa, its primary catchphrase was freedom and equality. Today, fifteen years later, TPLF builds University College in Mekele and kills University students in Addis Ababa. TPLF brazenly channels international aid funds and other resources from the other parts of Ethiopia to its own power base. For example, in Tigray zone, there is one hospital for every 286,143 people, where as in Amahara and Debub zone, there is one hospital for every 1,011,452 people (Source: http://www.csis.org/media/csis/pubs/battling_hiv-aids_ethiopia.pdf). In today’s Ethiopia, the majority of the larger economic firms are either entirely or partially owned by the TPLF elites. TPLF is a ruling party, a trading corporation, and a legislative and a judicial body.

Ethiopia is a country of many nationalities where the unequal distribution of power and wealth is rampant and seemingly interminable. From Emperor Menelik, the architect of modern Ethiopia, to Meles Zenawi, the disintegrating agent of Ethiopia; every Ethiopian regime has used the resources of the south to benefit the few, keeping the South in an invariable state of melancholy and teeth gnashing. In the last one hundred years, the role of the South in the national decision making process was next to nothing. In 1974 and 1991 when those on power were dazed, and when a short time governmental power vacuum was created; the South has never been close to filling the vacuum. Today, the Ethiopian political spectrum is jam-packed by self-acclaimed, elegant, and devious groups who promise true democracy for Ethiopians. In a land where promises are never kept, the South should never be swindled again.

Most political parties of the last four decades failed to succeed because they overlooked the political history of Ethiopia. Main stream Ethiopians usually dismiss the existence of a century old power struggle between the politically dominant North and the dominated South. Even toady, in the era of information technology, when Southerners articulate the Ethiopian problem from the Southern perspective, their ideas are mocked and domed as divisive and untimely, furthermore, the comprehensive ideas of Southern intellectuals are reduced to ethnic issues. In the contrary, remnants of the old system praise the wickedness of the feudal system as a blessed act of nation building. For example, a recent article on ethiomedia web site (http://ethiomedia.com/courier/proud_neftegna.html), compared the Lewis & Clark continental expedition with Emperor Menelik’s expansion to South Ethiopia. This is what the writer said:

“Neftegnoch’ are respected, and names of great Neftegnoch such as Lewis & Clark are made immortal. Lewis & Clark extended the frontiers of America from coast to coast in the same way the Ethiopian pioneers once did to Africa. But, for reasons unknown, the ancient ‘Neftegnoch’ failed to create the Continent of Ethiopia and Africa is today what we believe it should not be”.

The writer failed to let us know what happened to millions of Native Americans after the Lewis & Clark expedition, and he disregarded the history of how the so called pioneer ‘Neftegnoch’ treated the people of the South for almost a century. The writer not only fails to tell us the truth, but he also tried to justify the system that reduced Southerners to sub humans by calling the builders of the system “Pioneers”. Such neglect, failure, and disregard to spell out the truth should not be attributed to being naïve or lack of knowledge because it is an out-and-out denial of history.

Why did some intellectuals, groups, and political parties of the last four decades fail to see the root cause of Ethiopia’s problem? What is Ethiopia’s root problem? As I tried to mention above, Ethno-nationalist groups who make use of governmental power to create and enforce public policies that advance ethno-nationalist objectives are the root causes of all of Ethiopia’s problems. Most Ethiopians thought all problems associated with land ownership were resolved by the 1975 rural land proclamation, yet today 31 years after the landmark proclamation, the land tenure system is a major problem in Ethiopia. Today, many Ethiopians inside and outside Ethiopia are fighting hard to bring an end to the TPLF regime; but will replacing TPLF by it self really solve Ethiopia’s problem? If the answer is yes, in the last 30 years Ethiopia has seen three different governments come and go, but none of them solved the root problem of Ethiopia. In my opinion, most Ethiopians agree on the issue of purging TPLF, the problem comes on the question of the replacement. In fact, the fundamental point of departure between the different opposition groups lies on who should replace the TPLF regime.

The main stream Ethiopian political pitch is composed of individuals, groups, and political parties who exhibit one of the following characteristics:

Deny the existence of problems: These are people who deny or question the history of the North-South domination in Ethiopia. To these people, modern Ethiopia was formed by the good will of individuals, groups, and nationalities that co-existed harmoniously.
Muffle Problems: These are people who clearly understand the political history of Ethiopia, but muffle the root problems in search of short cut to political power.
Run from problems: These are people who acknowledge the existence of problems, but they try to solve the problems by just running away from them. The creed of this class of people is: ‘Let us forget the past’ and be united to fight TPLF.

If one denies the existence of problems, it will absolutely be impossible to solve them; the TPLF regime can certainly be avoided, but the struggle continues unless problems are exhaustively discussed and the body that replaces TPLF is put together with a mutual consensus of all Ethiopians. One can muffle problems for a little while, but eventually the muffled problems will explode and create more damage. Finally, no matter how far one runs away from problems, the problems will always follow him/her. Obviously, one can not solve problems by dwelling in the past; likewise, no problem can be solved without knowing its root and uprooting it.

To establish a united Ethiopia, the people of Ethiopia should enter in to a social contract with each other. The most important precondition for a social contract is a lasting trust among the different nationalities that constitute the nation of Ethiopia. No trust can develop between people when one group denies, muffles, or runs away from a problem that the other group acknowledges and works hard to resolve. In all political settings, where trust or contracts are the vital issues, different groups and political parties have repeatedly been observed reducing themselves from the national agenda to egoistic group or individual agenda. This infectious disease is not limited to individuals; it is widespread among influential political parties that are expected to lead the country. ONC, SEPDC, and the trendy CUD are not free from such a syndrome. In fact, the inability of UEDF and CUD to work together as political allies is mainly characterized by the dread of who controls power. Immediately and following the May 2005 election, the focus of CUD and UEDF was not fully centered on EPRDF, they were rather infatuated with a personal agenda of putting their own person in the most powerful spot. Had UEDF and CUD worked together before and after the election, they could have put the first legal resident in Ethiopia’s executive mansion. The imprudent political and economic relations of the past hundred years have drained the trust that one group has for the other. In 1991, OLF was part of the transition government, however, it pulled itself out of the TG because the TPLF gang wanted a total control of the country by itself; ever since, the political relationship between OLF and other opposition groups was exemplified by lack of trust. Ethiopia needs a vanguard party that establishes trust, harmony, and an all rounded equal relationship between Ethiopians of different background.

Currently, the Ethiopian people are determined to get rid of the TPLF gangs, what they lack is a vanguard party that leads them to victory. I do believe we still don’t have a single trusted party which is strong enough to lead Ethiopians to victory. In the May 2005 election, ONC and other Oromo groups won few parliamentary seats in the Oromya zone; but, OLF, arguably the greatest name among the Oromos was not even in the picture. In the South, the bungled SEPDC failed to extrapolate its landmark victory of five years earlier. If one goes back and assesses the May 2005 election, the Oromya and the Southern zones were the two main places where EPRDF had relatively strong footing compared to UEDF and CUD. With the exception of the three densely populated localities of Wolayta, Kembata, and Hadya, the South was plagued by a political vacuum. Poor leadership and lack of democratic culture made the Southern Ethiopian People Democratic Coalition (SEPDC) a bystander on its own turf. Obviously, CUD made unmatched attempt to reach the people of the South, but its appeal to the Southern voters was optimistically answered only in few urban centers like Awassa. The Oromos are disgruntled with TPLF the same way the Amaharas are, but why did CUD fail to secure comparable number of votes in Oromya zone as it did in the Amahara zone? All in all, why is CUD less popular among the Oromos?

Trust is a vital component in the creation of a true democratic Ethiopia, when a true democratic Ethiopia is formed with the unconditioned free will of all Ethiopians, and when the constitutional separation of power is properly enforced; legal and democratic institutions will flourish in all parts of the country paving the way for the restoration of political equilibrium between the different regions of the country. In a true democracy, most people conduct themselves rationally; no individual, group, or region will have a reason to change its behavior given the choices of all other individuals, groups, or regions. In a true democratic Ethiopia, the existence of a transparent judicial system and the prevalence of checks and balances between the different branches of the government will deter people from resorting to violence to resolve political differences.

Today, there are a large number of players in the political environment of Ethiopia; some are coalitions (CUD and UEDF), others are liberation fronts (OLF, ONLF, and TPLF), and yet some others are regional mass based political organizations (SEPDC, ONC and TAND). More or less, all of the above political players represent people; some are large stakeholders representing a larger section of the population. All of these political organizations have the responsibility of ensuring a lasting peace, freedom, and justice to the Ethiopian people and they are accountable for the actions they take and fail to take; but none of the political parties can claim to have a historical responsibility of single handedly carrying the yoke of the struggle. The group effort of CUD and UEDF shortly before and immediately after the May 2005 election was praised by many Ethiopians and friends of Ethiopians, but instead of expanding their popular base by inviting other stakeholders to the political forum, the group effort of CUD and UEDF diminished as one distrusted the other. It is absolutely important to acknowledge that neither CUD nor UEDF can successfully wage their struggle without entertaining the Oromo, the Ogaden, the Afar, the Benshangul etc questions at the national level. I do have respect to ONC and other Oromo parties, but at the mean time, I have trouble visualizing the future mode of being of the Oromo people in the absence of the biggest player, the OLF. The current leaders of CUD, UEDF and other opposition groups have the responsibility of bringing OLF to the national political forum. At the mean time, the OLF leaders should take their own initiative to solve the Ethiopian problem with their brothers. Disregarding dialogues and resorting to the use of gun might ensure a temporary political power like TPLF, but it will never solve political differences.

Over all, people have similar interests and wishes. The over all interest of the oppressed people of Ethiopia is similar; North or South, we are all Ethiopians and we live in the context of each other. Southerners have been Ethiopians for many years, but did not participate in the national decision making process. Obviously, as most Ethiopians understand, the Ethiopian South and North do not share identical historical background. The South was denied of political power, has a forgotten language and a neglected culture. Such differences and the hideous parts of our history should not be denied, it should be uncovered and discussed. The past should be used as a bridge to bring Ethiopians together. Those who rebuff the past are doing nothing, but building a wall that keeps people apart. History is a lesson that educates us to hold on to the beneficial occurrences of the past and avoid adverse experiences from unfolding again. We can’t simply leave the past to historians; we all should deal with it. Historical coincidence has placed us at a crucial time in our country’s history; we face a huge task of liberating our people from all kind of oppression once and for all. This overwhelming task needs the coordinated effort of all oppressed people. Let’s rise together and find solution for the deep-seated problem of Ethiopia. Let’s run to save our country from falling apart, not for power!

Baptism with Fire – The Meles way!

By Ephrem Madebo

In the tradition of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, Timket (Ethiopian Epiphany) is one of the most colorful holiday that attracts people of different ethnic and religious background. Timket is a magnet that attracts children, the youth, the elderly, men and women for a holy baptismal ceremony, and a day long religious reflection, dancing, and sharing. The start and finish journey of Timket is powered by Tabot, a sacred replica of the Holly Arch that holds the original Ten Commandments. Unlike other Ethiopian Orthodox traditions, one should not be the follower of the Orthodox religion to celebrate Timket; the colorful celebrations of Timket have the power to attract any human being that breathes. Timket is a ritual that transcends denominations, cultures, national and ethnic background. Internationally, the Ethiopian Timket celebration is considered among the top ten religious rituals of the world (TV Travel Channel).

Our ancient country of Ethiopia has celebrated Timket for the last 1600 years, way before the Norman conquest of England and centuries before Germans were Christians, but none of the celebrations of the past were surrounded by ruthless armed personnel who opened fire not only at the people, but also in the direction of the sacred body, the Tabot! It is quite a shame that an irresponsible traitor to come not only from Ethiopia’s original Christian land of Tigray; but also from Adwa, a symbol of black independence where thousands made a one way journey accompanying the Tabot in 1896. Today, just a month before the 110th Adwa victory day, the horrible son of Adwa ordered a disgraceful shooting at the same Tabot that put his birth place on the map. What will be the reactions of Emperor Yohhannis and Ras Alula as they welcome the victims of their great grand son? What will be the reaction of ‘Aba Mela’ when he realizes that the justice system of Ethiopia is endangered by a traitor from of Adwa?

Jan Meda is the place of our child hood where we smelled the aroma of delicate scent and holiday food; it is a place where we spend the day dancing and pinching girls at night. At Jan Meda, the morning does not start with a plot to kill; it starts with baptism by pledging to help others. At Jan Meda, the day does not end with a friend carrying the body of his/her friend, at Jan Meda, the day ends with dancing, hugging, and of course with atonement. The 1998 Timket festival ended with the smell of gun powder forcing the elderly to sneeze, and the smoke of gun fire lingering on the skies of Jan Meda. Mothers and fathers who enjoyed the dances of their children went home to never see their sons and daughters again because on a good Timket day, Meles killed not only their children, but he also killed their hope. I’m not anymore taken aback by the killings of Meles because I knew Meles was a killer from the very beginning. He has killed in the deserts of Sudan, he killed in the wilderness of Tigray and he killed in the streets of Addis Ababa. Today, he showed us his complete haughtiness by killing people in front of the Tabot. The arrogance of Meles and company is the only evil not transcended by the power of Timket. By the way are these gangs baptized?

I don’t believe we Ethiopians need any more internal or external push to come together and uproot the ludicrous regime of Meles and company. We find ourselves in a very decisive moment in our history where acting individually or not acting are both killing our people. When our children are killed in front of the ultimate refuge (Tabot), when the head of a woman is blown up for reacting when her husband is brutally beaten, and when young students are shot to death by a killing squad; we as a society have two choices: We should either collectively fight and get rid of the killers, or wait until the unforgiving brutal arm of Meles Knocks on our own doors. The choice is ours! We are Ethiopians, and the mystery of baptism is not new to us. After all, who ever is baptized by fire will be stronger, courageous, and stands firm until the last day.

Nothing Is Evil, But Evil Itself

By Ephrem Madebo

I enjoyed reading Dr. Mogus Mochena’s latest article. As I understood in his article, Dr. Mogus makes a call for the formation of a new Southern Ethiopia party. According to Dr. Mogus, the struggle of Southern Ethiopians goes beyond just getting rid of Meles Zenawi’s dictatorial regime. The Ethiopian South is a place where imposed culture and language was/is a substitute for local culture and language. The resourceful South is also a place that is reduced to poverty by the deliberate actions of all past Ethiopian governments. This is evil. I don’t think Mr. Begashaw, who wrote a rather insipid comment on Dr. Mogus’s article, seems to understand this overarching evil and fails to get the gist of Dr. Mogus’s article.

The concept of the ‘South’ in Dr. Mogus's article is not only geographic; it is also a political concept. In Ethiopia, the concept of North and South represents the dominator and the dominated. This is a fact. Mr. Begashaw’s fear of division among the opposition based on Dr. Mogus’s article is an irrational one that does not reflect the political reality of Ethiopia. The CUD is primarily an urban party and the UEDF is an agglomeration of parties that are primarily based out side of Ethiopia. In the midst of such configuration of opposition parties, the stubborn leaders of the SEPDC, purportedly representing Southerners, are sitting like dummies in the illegitimate parliament. As a result of these factors, a political vacuum has been created in the South and it needs to be filled and Dr. Mogus’s article addresses this vacuum.

I also find Mr. Begashaw’s call for Ethiomedia web site not to post articles which he deems "divisive" to be very disturbing. There is a wide array of views among the Ethiopian opposition and Ethiomedia is well advised to continue to accommodate them. Mr. Begashaw should be ashamed of himself when he tells Ethiomedia to act like Ethiopian Radio and Television. I thought we were struggling to have a free press. I thought some of us left Ethiopia because we couldn’t freely express ourselves. The South fears attitudes like that of Mr. Begashaw’s and that is why most Southerners feel their interests are better served if they have their own party. It is high time that Mr. Begashaw and his ilk learn to appreciate the diversity of Ethiopia and respect the desire of Ethiopians to organize in any way they wish.

What is a specific current situation in Ethiopia that warrants us not to fill a political vacuum? When is the right time to form a party? I do believe Dr. Mogus’s article initiates a dialogue among Ethiopians and contributes positively to the formation of a true democratic Ethiopia. The effort to get rid of the Meles regime and form a government of national unity should be inclusive; no individual, group of individuals, or no single party is given a sole historical task of fighting for Ethiopia. Mr. Begashaw may not like the idea of new party in the South and he should be entitled to his point of view, but he should be mature enough to recognize that there may be many others who may like the idea and want the dialogue continue. At the end of the day, it is the majority of the people in Southern Ethiopia who will decide whether or not it is a good idea to start a new Southern party at this point in time.

Yes, Gondar ain’t your mama’s fool no more!

By Ephrem Madebo

“The dead bodies of my friends were being exhibited up and down the street. All of the fourteen friends of mine were laying facedown, executed mercilessly, and the infamous Red Terror campaign slogans pasted on their backs”

“To substantiate the truthfulness this news item, as I always do, I immediately pointed my web browser to the other opposition and pro-government websites to no avail. I could not find any other news source website with similar item. I was relieved, and I immediately started to get suspicious about the authenticity of the “news”. I went back and read it again, and, this time, I scrutinized it leaving my emotion by way side. And the “news” started to fall apart. I will tell you what I found”

Dear Mr. Aklilu, I guess you have heard that justice has been served to the notorious Major Melaku, something he denied to your friends and thousands of others. I am happy you saved yourself from Major Melaku’s nonsensical killing, but I am extremely troubled by your recent “autobiography” on aigaforum.com. Before I go deep in to your “rich” autobiography, let me ask you a question – According to your autobiography, you read about the Gondar students killing on ethiomedia.com and went to other websites to authenticate ethiomedia’s claim, but you couldn’t read it anywhere! Before I went to the Aigaforum site I was @ http://www.ethiolion.com/ site and I read about the Gondar killing. My main point is not to defend ethiomedia’s claim though the truth should always be defended. Mr. Aklilu, when your friends were killed by Major Mrlaku some 28 years ago, do you think the news of the killing was reported by Addis Zemen, Yezareytu Ethiopia, or the Ethiopian Herald? I leave the answer to you!

As you told us in your “autobiography”, currently, you live in the US. Let me take you by your own words (though what you said is chauvinistic). Are you telling us “Kebraraw Gonderie” who lives in the US knows everything that happens in the entire Gondar region? The intended message of your article was to tell the world that peace is prevalent in Gondar and Ethiopia at large. Dear Aklilu, when you left Ethiopia to save your life and when Melaku and his friends were killing your brothers, sisters, and friends; Colonel Mengistu’s discourse to the whole world was about Ethiopia’s stability and economic progress. It is depressing and heartbreaking, today, after establishing yourself in America you are doing the same thing Mengistu did a quarter of a century ago! You said you are a professional family person, so am I. Few weeks ago, I read an article on ethiomedia.com, and I didn’t like the article, so my professional judgment was no to go to aigaforum.com and write an “autobiography”. I wrote an article and ethiomedia.com published it accepting my criticism, by our standard this is journalism unparalled. If you were a genuinely concerned citizen, you should have contacted ethiomedia.com and find out the truth.

Dear. Mr. Aklilu, in your scribble on aigaforum.com, you told us that you never wrote an article in 12 years, in fact you also told us you were a staunch opponent of EPRDF. I am not a profiler, but I have the experience of making an educated guess, in your case it didn’t take me much to make a good matching guess. The only smart move you did is you re-wrote your “autobiography” because as the Holy Bible says “You were born again”. By being born again, you transformed yourself from a couch potato professional [no read, no write) to a mystified scribbler, and from a proponent of the people’s cause to a staunch supporter of EPRDF. Yes, Gondar ain’t your mama’s fool no more, as it wasn’t when you left. The ‘Gonderies’ of this generation are fighting back like their fathers because Meles is killing just like Mengistu was killing.


Dear Mr. Aklilu, there is one Ethiopia and one truth about Ethiopia. Ethiopia, your country, my country, and our country finds itself at the crossroads of history. We are facing an enemy we never faced before! Though, I sometimes make educated guesses, I always hold back myself from saying shame on you to a fellow country man, for shame arises from a sense of personal failure, however, you should feel guilty of yourself, for guilt arises out of concern for others.
I have no problem with disagreement; I always treasure it even when it is presented stalwartly. Political dialogues are favorable, even if they aren’t always at ease. Yours is not a dialogue or disagreement, it is betrayal!!! You run away from Major Melaku’s gun and saved yourself, today, of all the people in the world; you shouldn’t have been the one to condemn a news media that exposes the Melaku of this era! Let me repeat my self, Yes, Gondar ain’t your mama’s fool no more, Gondar is Mama Ethiopia’s elder son, wiser, matured, and hardened fighter!

Teenage boys facing Genocide charges?
By Ephrem Madebo


On Tuesday January 3, 2006, Emily Wax, A Washington Post columnist wrote an article regarding Child labor in Ethiopia. Here is a script from her article: “Ethiopia has one of the highest rates of child labor in the world, according to the U.N.'s International Labor Organization and the African Network for the Prevention of and Protection against Child Abuse and Neglect. Nine million children ages 5 to 17 are employed, 90 percent of them in the agricultural sector, the agencies reported” Given the current biased educational system that blows apart the dream of young Ethiopians, the AIDS epidemics, and the misguided land tenure system, Ethiopian children or Teenagers have no choice, but take things on their own. Teenagers in Ethiopia have to work full time, go to school, and of course fight the TPLF system that reduced them to unskilled workers at their tender age.

On Wednesday January 4, 2006, the international community learned that two Ethiopian Teenage boys are facing genocide charges. What is Genocide? Is there a different definition of genocide? One for TPLF and another for the rest of the world? According to the on-line yahoo encyclopedia, genocide is the systematic destruction, wholly or in part, by a government of a national, racial, religious, or ethnic group. In the last 70 years the world has witnessed three unprecedented genocidal acts; Hitler’s attempts in the 1930s and 40s to destroy the entire European Jewish community, and to eliminate other national groups in Eastern Europe, the 1995 Bosnian Serbs and Bosnian Croats killings of thousands of Muslims in Kosovo, and the 1994 Rwandan Genocide. All of the above genocidal acts have two important common factors: All of them were backed by government, and all of them targeted religious and/or ethnic groups.

What is the basis for the genocidal charge of the Ethiopian opposition leaders, especially the two teenagers? Yes, Teenagers and many adults have been killed in Addis Ababa and many other urban centers of Ethiopia, but they were killed by TPLF forces. Yes, there were mass killings in Gambela, Awassa, and Ambo, but all of the killings were carried by armed government forces. Yes, teenagers can be used to execute genocidal acts (Rwanda), but there has been no genocide in Ethiopia to begin with. The irresponsible savage act of TPLF is no different from the hyena drinking water (upper course of the river) and warning the donkey not to litter the water (down stream). In the United States a consensual sex with a teenager can send an adult to prison for 10 or more years. In Ethiopia teenagers and young students are shot to death in broad day light not far from the US embassy in Addis Ababa, but those who ordered the killing do not face justice, they rove in the Menlik place to plot and to kill more.

During the Italian invasion of Ethiopia, Emperor Haile Selassie I made a historic speech of complaint at the League of Nations, the West mocked at his speech. In 1974, the West quietly watched when Colonel Mengistu submerged Ethiopia in to the Soviet camp. Time and circumstances have changed, but it seems that the West never changes in matters that concern Ethiopia. Today, TPLF is taking the second most populace black nation to an extremely dangerous conflict in the name of democracy while the pioneers of democracy applaud Meles and company, leaders of the death squad. The world is wordlessly witnessing the killing of teenagers by armed government forces, and the government charging friends of the dead for genocide! How far will such a silence go?