የዛሬይቱ ኢትዮጵያ እውነተኛ ገጽታ!

ከህሊና ወንድይራድ

አገራችን ኢትዮጵያ ብዙ  ሺ ዘመናት አኩሪ ታሪክ ባለቤት ሐገር እንዳልነበረች ዛሬ በባንዳ ርዝራዦች መዳፍ ሥር ወድቃ የባለመቶ አመት ባለታሪክ ተብላላች።በጀግኖች አባቶቻችንና እናቶቻችን ደምና አጥንት የጸናች ምድር የተባዮች መፈንጫም ሆናለች።

*የአገር  ባለውለታ የሆኑ አርበኞቿ ሜዳ ላይ ወድቀው ሲያደሟትና ሲያዳክሟት የኖሩ ዛሬ ላይ ተንደላቀው የሚኖሩባት፣

 “ኢትዮጵያ ሐገሬ ሞኝ ነሽ ተላላ፣

የሞተልሽ ቀርቶ የገደለሽ በላ።”

የሚለው ዜማ ዛሬም ትኩስ ሆኖ የሚደመጥባት ብቸኛዋ ምድር የኛዎ እማማ ኢትዮጵያ ሆናለች።

በትግራይ ወያኔ አገዛዝ የወደቀችው አገራችን ሕዝቧ ዘላለማዊው አምላክ የለገሰውን ነፃነት ተነጥቆ በባርነት የሚማቅቅባት፣ዜጎቿ በረሃብ የሚረግፉባት፣ በበሽታ የሚሰቃዩባትና ተስፋ የጨነገፈባት የጥቂት ወሮበሎች  ሐገር ሆነች።

የትግራይ ወያኔዎችና ግብረ አበሮቻቸው ተምረው የተመረቁ ወጣቶችን ድንጋይ ጠራቢ በማድረግ የምትኩራራና በአደባባይ የምትደሰኩር ሃፍረተ-አልባ ገዢዎች የሚዘውሯት የፍርደ ገምድሎች ርስተ ጉልት አደረጓት።

የሃይማኖት አባቶቿን  አሰድዳ እያንከራተተች በካድሬ የቀበሮ ባህታዊያን ቤተመቅደሷን ያስወረረች  መንፈሳዊነትና ህሊና በሌላቸው የአስመሳይ ካህናትና ፓስተሮች መነገጃ የገበያ ማዕከል የሆነች ሐገር ሆነች።

አንድ ሆኖ ወራሪን አይቀጡ ቅጣት የቀጣ፣ለጥቁር ሕዝቦች ፋና ወጊ የሆነ ሕብረብሄራዊ ሕዝቧን በወንዝና በመንደር የሚከፋፍሉና የሚያናክሱ መርዛም ኮብራ እባቦች የበቀሉባት ኪነ-ጥበቧ በሃሰት ተሽሞንሙኖ የሚቀርባትና ዕውነት የቀጨጨባት፣አሰመሳይነትና አደባይነት የነገሰባት ሲኦላዊ ምድር ልትሆን አበቋት።

ዛሬ ያላቅሟ የምትንጠራራ ከሰራችው ይልቅ የምታወራው የሚበዛ በሃሰት ሚዲያ የደነቆረች የሆዳም ጋዜጠኞች መፈልፈያ፣ የእውነተኛ ጋዜጠኞች መሰቃያ ምድር ኢትዮጵያ ናት።

ዛሬ ባልተማሩ የምትመራ ለነፃነቷ የሚታገሉ ልጆቿን በሰቆቃዊ ስፍራ አጉራ የምታሰቃይ ምድራዊ ገሃነም ኢትዮጵያ ናት።

የዛሬይቱ ኢትዮጵያ ከላይ የተዘረዘሩትን እውነታዎች አታሟላም የሚሉ ካሉ ህሊናቸው ያልተሟላ ወይም በጥቅም የታወረና ሞራላቸው የላላና ከገዢዎች ጋር የሚቆምሩ የበግ ለምድ የደረቡ ተኩላዎች መሆን አለባቸው።

ኢትዮጵያ በጠላት ዘመን ይህን ሁሉ ፈተና አልፋ ዛሬ ላይ የደረሰች፣አሁን ካለችበትም ግፍና ሰቆቃ ለመውጣት በጀግኖች ልጆቿ በየትግል ዘርፉ ዋጋ እየተከፈለላትና በቅርቡም ነፃነቷን በሕዝቧና በአምላኳ ርዳታ የምትጎናጸፍ በወርቃማ ቃላት ታሪኳ የተጻፈላትና የተዘመረላት ውብ ምድር ነበረች!

ዛሬ ግን ኢትዮጵያ በዓለም አደባባይ ትክክለኛ ገጽታዋ ባቅሜ ከላይ እንደ ዘረዘርኩት ነው።ከየትኛውም አቅጣጫ ለሚሰነዘር ገንቢም ሆነ አፍራሽ ምላሽ ብዕሬ ምላሽ ለመስጠት በተጠንቀቅ ላይ ናት።

አምላክ የኢትዮጵያችንን ትንሣዔ ያፋጥንልን!

አሜን

ከህሊና ወንድይራድ

ከመናገሻ

ግንቦት 11/2008ዓ/ም

Professor Asrat Woldeyes Memorial day Observed in Los Angeles

         A group observed the 17th anniversary of the Martyrdom of the renowned Physician and Political Leader Professor Asrat Woldeyes in Los Angeles California on Sunday, May 15, 2016.
         In a candle vigil ceremony held at Little Ethiopia Restaurant, attendants remembered the Martyr in a moment of silence. Ato Zenebe Tamirat former Central Committee Member of the All Amhara Peoples Organization read, the life history of the Professor. He also highlighted the Professor's works as a leader of Political Unity and Stability. AAPO that latter was converted to All Ethiopian Peoples’ Party is inactive now. Ato Zenebe declared that followers of the leadership of Professor Asrat observed the 17th anniversary of the martyr with deep sorrow and regret because they failed to follow up his direction. This failure to follow the wise man’s path to freedom ended up in allowing the TPLF defunct the party, divide the leaders and disperse its members. The transformation from AAPO to AEUP should have taken place in a safer way sustaining the existence of the former as a satellite to the latter. The Duo then could have performed miraculously.  “This idea had not come to my mind until the destruction took place and I regret to be a part of the obstruction supporting the transformation during the formation of AEUP.” He said.  The professor had instructed to keep the Candle burning throughout the struggle. Participants expressed their concern about the continuous suppression of the rights of the Amhara to live in any part of Ethiopia.  They stressed the need to reinforce AAPO as a voice to the people of Amhara, who are suffering a massive blow from the camps of pro-TPLF.
    Professor Asrat was born on June 20, 1928, in Addis Ababa. In 1935 when he was only seven, fascist Italy invaded Ethiopia hampering his schooling which had only started a few months ago merely to complete the traditional Ethiopian church school, identifying the Amharic alphabets and reading the Psalm.  He was ready to enter the Lingua Franco elementary school when the invasion took place.
    The invasion was a calamity to the rising nation in general but extremely terrible to the rising young Asrat in particular. Mess after mess tumbled upon his family following the disastrous invasion. His father was sacrificed in the Yekatit genocide, in which the Fascist forces, “Camicia Nero” massacred thousands at Addis Ababa burning houses and chopping heads with shovels. His grandfather was captured and taken as captive to Italy, and his mother died of the trauma that fell upon her family.
Young Asrat was left behind without parents and distant relatives in Diredawa had to take care of him discontinuing his lessons. After three years, victory was achieved. Asrat’s grandpa was released through WP exchange and came back home.  He immediately brought young Asrat to Addis Ababa and managed to register him as a student at Teferi Makonnen Elementary School, the second best in the nation. Brilliant Asrat was never second in completing his elementary school. He was then granted a scholarship to Alexandria, Egypt to continue a high school education. Upon successfully completing the secondary school education at Alexandria and passing the College Entrance Examination with distinction, he entered the University of Edinburg in Scotland, Great Britain with a full scholarship. He studied Medicine here for six years and graduated with an MD degree. Dr. Asrat couldn’t wait coming back home to serve but had one more year to work on his residency in a hospital.
Upon completion of his residency, youth Asrat, rushed back home to act as the first Medical Doctor trained with modern practices after the second World War. During that time, Ethiopia seriously needed medical professionals, and Asrat arrived to serve at a time of extreme need. Thus, a son in need is a son indeed. After serving for five years as a physician, Asrat again went back to England for specialization in surgery. He satisfactorily managed to become a surgeon completing the work at Edinburg and Royal Collages.  Returning to his beloved country immediately, Dr. Asrat continued serving as a surgeon for thirty years at Princesses Tsehay and Tiqur Anbessa Hospitals. He helped found the Addis Ababa University Medical School, which was formerly housed at the Tiqur Anbessa Hospital compound and later transferred to Sidist Killo Campus of the Addis Ababa University and became its first dean. Earlier, he was appointed a private physician to the Emperor and the royal family. At the University where lecturers were always in short Asrat had to shoulder both the administrative and teaching burdens. He was not bored nor tired rather he was fiercely working day and night as a bulldozer merely to delight at the graduation ceremony where he used to gather his products.  He was serious and with no smile at the operation theater, profound and genius in the classroom and cheerful at the result he scores at the end of the day, the week and the year.
In 1974, a disastrous Military Government took power in Ethiopia that killed the Emperor Haile Selassie and his Cabinet Ministers, including the Prime Minister Aklilu Habtewold, who diligently served his country, the royal family, and other public servants without the due process of law.  Eritrean Secessionists pushed forward threatening to secede. In the meantime, Somalia declared war on Ethiopia with a thought that this was the best time to invade a weakened and divided nation.  Asrat was in a desperate problem unable to decide on what to do. He did not like the Military Junta, but the nation had to survive from external invasion and internal aggression. Be it as it was, lives had to be saved as well. So, he had to go the war front and save lives. Treating equally all parties that fought, he gave his services diligently and with excellent performances. He was awarded medals for his services.
In 1992, the Military Government lost power to the Tigray Liberation Front (TPLF) that invited certain individuals and the Addis Ababa University Scholars to join it at a conference in June 1992, form a transitional Government and secede Eritrea.   Asrat participated representing the University Scholars merely and solely to object the secession of Eritrea arguing the conference has no constitutional power to decide on the national issue as no parliamentary representatives served the people of Ethiopia nor there existed a permanently functioning Ethiopian Government at that point.  The conference passed the resolution for Eritrean secession with all votes but Asrat’s.  Asrat then resigned in spite of the TPLF insistence for him to continue.
In 1993 along with a nationalist group, he formed the All Amhara Peoples’ Organization (AAPO) through which he gallantly fought for national unity and stability. He vehemently objected TPLF’s policy of secession, ethnic division and vandalism through an endowment to Tigray. He raised his voice for the protection of the people of Ethiopia in general and to stop the killings of the Amhara in particular. He exposed the danger of “State Land Tenure and "Lease” that the TPLF planned to impose to all parts of Ethiopia except Tigray. Mobilizing the Amhara all over the nation, he campaigned to settle those Amharas that were evacuated from Arsi and left homeless on the streets of Nazareth.
The TPLF did not like Asrat’s movement for national unity. It advocated ethnic based federalism favoring Tigray to benefit at the expenses of other groups. Asrat’s voice, on the contrary, agitated the people of Ethiopia to rise against the policies of the TPLF. Fearing that this will be a threat to the application of divisive ethnicity and economic blunder that it contained in its plan the TPLF arrested Asrat on counts of some untrue crimes. Asrat almost died to languish in the sanitary lacking cells of the Addis Ababa Jail, but officially allowed to seek medication in the United States at his death bed. He died at a Hospital in the United States as the physicians couldn’t help because it was too late. The TPLF was sure it was indeed too late but thinks that it won’t be responsible for making it too late. Time and God only know when the investigation will take place for the killing of the vast son of Ethiopia, Professor Asrat Woldeyes. Time and God also find out when the children of Amhara will rise their arms in search of justice to the killing of their beloved leader.

   

President Obama Proved Wrong: The Incomplete and Unworthy Visit

By Zenebe Tamirat

In my article entitled President Obama “Turning Deaf Ear to World Wide Protest,” (Dewol, Wednesday, July 22, 2015), I submitted my last appeal to the President, to cancel his visit to Ethiopia scheduled in that same month. If he would not cancel his visit, I called to at least include the notorious Qality Prison into his places of visit list; for that was where he could have seen the real political condition of Ethiopia.

He did not! Because the president does not listen to the plights of the local people among which is I, the writer of this and the above mentioned articles am included. Instead, he listened to the advice of Frasier, Suzanne Yamamato, and others who say they are experts on African affairs. Consequently, he openly admired the fake election that took place in Ethiopia just a few weeks before his visit. Later in an interview, Suzanne laughed at him apparently for believing her story about the election in Ethiopia in which TPLF declared 100% victory.

The situation did not end only by laughter but continued by the uprising of the people in different parts of the country. In fact, some five months, after the president’s visit and his appreciation of the fraudulent election public demonstration began taking place in many regions. In Gonder, where the Amharas live, the peasantry confronted the ruling party Militiamen with arm struggle. In West and West-Central Ethiopia where the majority Oromos live, the people consistently demonstrated armed with wooden clubs. Their demand was to let the ruling TPLF bandits to go away from their region. The uprising spread to East and South Ethiopia. The Oromos are well known for their tactics in stick fighting and mass attack. Thus in some areas, they put Government Officials in captivity and showed their pictures in Social Media such as the Facebook.

A group known as “Tiqur Anbessa” in North Ethiopia declared that it has started arm struggle against the TPLF and had an incident in Qobo region where it says had an assault on an Army Unit killing soldiers and damaging Military Vehicles. The Peasants in North Shoa known for their bravery and fierce fighting are not pleased with the TPLF. Many assume that they will pull their triggers in uprising following their brother in Wolqait, Qobo, and elsewhere.

Imagine, all these took place in just five months of President Obama’s visit to Ethiopia. The Ethiopian revolution against injustice the ruling minority led by the TPLF perpetrates is inevitable. Conditions surrounding the oppressed nation indicate the inescapability of peoples’ uprising.

Out of Ethiopia, North of its boundary, political circumstances are changing. The war in Yemen seems to have pushed Saudi Arabia to seek interest in Assab, sea port of Ethiopia occupied by Eritrea on its secession. There is a rumor that Saudi Arabia may obtain a long years of contract to use the port as a Strategic Military Operation Base. Some even doubt that the United States may also come into partnership with Saudi, in this venture. Many suspect the US abandoning of the Arba Minch Air base in Ethiopia is to shift the operation base to Assab, which is a closer site to Somalia, Djibouti, and Yemen and even Eritrea when necessary.

For now, the U.S has responded to the hostile situations in Ethiopia by advising her citizens to avoid the troubled areas of Ethiopia especially the Northern part. It has also tried to play a role of a negotiator urging the Government to restrain from taking aggressive actions against civilian demonstrators and at the same time requesting the demonstrators to cool it down. But now, there is no safety in Ethiopia. Its advice to its citizens to avoid troubled areas is ridiculous because all parts of Ethiopia including Addis Ababa are unsafe.

The United States is a great nation that claims to have based its roots of Government deep in democracy and the respect of human rights. Its constitution forbids its leaders from cooperating with irrational Governments that kill their people. Unfortunately, many U.S. presidents violate this general code of conduct. President Clinton, Bush, and Obama have consistently worked with the ruthless Government of Ethiopia in the last two and half decades stiffing the muscles of tyranny in Ethiopia.  The actions of these leaders has allowed the Marxist totalitarian leaders of TPLF mow the lives of thousands of Ethiopians who seek the respect of human rights and good governance. The TPLF has continued its aggression on peaceful demonstrators. It has killed hundreds of unarmed demonstrators that demanded justice, democracy, the respect of human rights and maintenance of good governance in just five months from the visit of President Obama in July 2015. This strenuous activity has not yet stopped yet; it is just continuing even at this point.

We had repeatedly brought the political situations in Ethiopia to the attention of President Obama in many forms. In the July article, we appealed for the reconsideration of his visit to tyrant Ethiopia.  We even predicted that the President’s visit would be incomplete and worthless unless he considers the real situation in Ethiopia. As well presented in this article, and, to the fulfillment of our prediction, just in five months, the world has proved from the killings of the TPLF that President Obama’s visit to Ethiopia has been incomplete and unworthy. Bad Job, Mr. President!

Happy Ethiopian New Year (2008)

Dear Compatriots,

I hereby wish everyone a triumphal new year. As was the case in the past twenty plus years of our struggle for justice and democracy, I have not come to you today with jubilant news. It is amazing that Woyanie is fast approaching to its Silver Jubilee while the struggle is still continuing. Today the Ethiopian people are celebrating their new year with a chicken costing Birr 400.00. A senga for qercha is unimaginable since it costs 23-25 thousand birr. In the past few years, Woyanie has successfully eliminated the original dwellers of Addis Ababa practically in all covered areas. Dwellers in Kazanchese, Lideta, Gedamsefer, Sholla and many other places in Addis Ababa were systematically displaced after their houses have been dismantled. Their land then is auctioned in an untold amount enriching the treasure of the Woyanie tugs. The only guys that can afford to pay for these inflated sales are Tigreans. The process of dismantling villages is expected to continue this year without confrontation as all other parts of Addis Ababa are on the pipe line. According to a young lady in Addis, I talked today by phone, the return for any protest is bullet. So, the people have opted to shut up and shoulder the consequences. The consequences are terrible. The compensation for a dweller whose house costs a million birr is only a one room apartment; they call "condominium." That is not even a compensation since the evacuated owner has to pay for the cost of the new apartment on instalment basis. Thus, the people of Addis Ababa are out rightly looted. We celebrate the New Year with such public sufferance from deplorable abuse of the rights of citizens to own property. We should not tolerate woyanie celebrate its silver jubilee of the annexation of Addis Ababa with all its crimes of unlimited extent. We have to wake up and respond to end the misery of our people under Woyanie. Please expect more challenges this year and get ready to sacrifice much more than what you have done in the past two and half decades.

Compatriotly yours,

Zenebe G. Tamirat,

Founder, the Pan Ethiopia Network (PEN)

President Obama: Turning Deaf Ear to World Wide Protest.

 Zenebe G. Tamirat

(Last Minute Appeal)

President Obama’s visit to authoritarian Ethiopia is fast approaching. Soon he will step on the blood-washed streets of Addis Ababa where students remained silent unable to breathe and unreciprocated to their homes because they were shot by brutal TPLF forces on their way back from scholol. Soon, he will step into the bloody streets of Addis where hundreds were mascaraed because they were demonstrating against injustice, suppression of human rights, and oppression of freedom.  Soon he will breathe in the Air of Ethiopia, the stink of the remnants of hundreds of Agnuwak and Amhara victims of genocide that the tyrants who invited the president mascaraed indiscriminately.

The President is doing all these in spite of the many complaints addressed to him concerning the human right violations of strict Ethiopia where dictatorship rules. Most of all, he is doing it contradicting his belief voiced in his famous speech while visiting Ghana in 2009, “Africa does not need strong men, it needs strong institutions.”

Some people think the President’s visit may turn good because he may discuss human right issues with the tyrants at home. I doubt it. I have a reservation on this because the President had the tyrants in his office only a few months ago and hardly mentioned the human rights issue. He only murmured a few words on an election that he hoped to be free but turned to be right in Nowhere on earth except in North Korea.

Some innocent guys even tried to add some points to add to his agenda in the bilateral talk. In vain. The tyrants at home have already started imprisoning opposition party members. On the pretext of “thinking to disturb peace during President Obama visit,” many are being detained.  Mind you it is not “planning” it is “thinking.”

The case of the legitimate President of the All Ethiopia Unit Party, Mamushet Amare, can be cited here. He was arrested accused of instigating violence during a demonstration against ISIS, who slaughtered Ethiopians in Libya. But the allegation being unfounded he was set free by a court that was hearing the case. However, the police refused to obey and release the prisoner. Therefore, the victim has remained in jail right up to the date of this article. It so happened,  presumably, because the authoritarian TPLF thinks that the victim “may think” a demonstration during the visit of President Obama. Therefore, his visit to Ethiopia is instigating even more authoritarian ferocity instead of reducing the extent of human rights violations.

                                                                                                                            

Media like the Washington Post, however, do not share the idea of the above well-wishers. Instead, they try to show the president the real feeling of the People of Ethiopia as a whole. They, mainly reflect what Ethiopians in the Diaspora particularly those in the U.S. sense.  They also press the president to consider the issue of human rights before his visit Authoritarian Ethiopia. In doing so, they consented expert ideas. Sara Morgan, Human Rights Watch, Director in Washington DC, for example, is cited referring Ethiopia as a “human rights disaster” as reported by the website, “East African. (http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/news/Obama-criticised-for-scheduling-visit-to-Ethiopia/-/2558/2767132/-/y8065bz/-/index.html).

As quoted by the Washington Post, Former President Bush director of operation, Joseph Hagin consents that “The real key on any of these trips is, ‘What’s the deliverable? What good would the visit do? ” The post also quoted Hagin as have said. “If you think you’re going to get a commitment to change behavior, and you think that’s valuable, that could be enough to go.” The question is “Is the deliverable human rights issue? Assistants of the President say the United States and Ethiopia have a lot of questions. But they do not assure the public the visit stresses the issue of human rights.

The Washington Times indicates that there are´” growing fears that Mr. Obama will largely sidestep any talk of human rights and democratic reforms during his visit, a silence that activists fear will be taken as a sign of support for the current government.”  There is no doubt about this. The U.S. relationship with Pinochet of Latin America and Habre’, who is often referred to as the “Pinochet of Africa” is a living witness for the U.S. deal with dictators.’The cover is a step in exchange to what they call the preservation of “American interest” in the region.

Although many democratic forces of the world have protested the President’s visit to Ethiopia, the President has turned a deaf ear to all. What we want the President to consider was nothing but a universal human right issue and not political support. Since our appeal to cancel his visit fails, I should be obliged to insist on including the notorious “Qality Prison” in his list of sights to see in Ethiopia as suggested by a writer before this article. This idea is not my invention, but it is my last minute appeal; for, there, the President may learn where exactly “hell” on earth is. Otherwise, his visit to Ethiopia cannot be complete and worthwhile!

The writer Zenebe Tamirat is available at ztamira@yahoo.com

@Zenebe Tamirat, Neguodguadzeneb@twitter.com

The Trial of Habre’: A warning to the TPLF Gangs

Summary and Commentary by Staff reporter

In July 20, 2015, the former dictator of Chad, Hissène Habré, stood trial on charges of crimes against humanity, torture and war crimes before the Extraordinary African Chambers in the Senegal court system.  According to Human rights Watch the chambers were established and institutionalized by Senegal and the African Union in February 2013 to “prosecute the “person or persons” most responsible for international crimes committed in Chad between 1982 and 1990, the period when Habré ruled Chad. “

Habré’s trial is the first in the world in which the courts of one country prosecute the former ruler of another for alleged human rights crimes. It is also the first universal jurisdiction case to proceed to trial in Africa. Universal jurisdiction is a concept under international law that allows national courts to prosecute the most serious crimes even when committed abroad, by a foreigner and against foreign victims. The French newspaper Le Monde has called the case “a turning point for justice in Africa.”

 1. Who is Hissène Habré?

Habré was president of the former French colony of Chad from 1982 until he was deposed in 1990 by Idris Déby Itno, the current president. Habré has been living in exile in Senegal ever since.
Habré’s government was responsible for widespread political killings, systematic torture, and thousands of arbitrary arrests. As is the case in Ethiopia under the TPLF rule, Habre’s  government periodically targeted civil populations, in the south and various ethnic groups such as Chadian Arabs, the Hadjerai (1987) and the Zaghawa (1989-90), killing and arresting group members en masse when it was perceived that their leaders posed a threat to Habré’s rule.
Again, as the United States supports TPLF in pretext of partnership against Terrorism, the U.S. and the West especially France supported Habré, seeing him as a bulwark against Libya's Muammar Gaddafi, who had expansionist designs on northern Chad. According to Human Rights Watch, “the United States under President Ronald Reagan, gave covert CIA paramilitary support to help Habré take power in 1982 and then provided his government with massive military aid.
The United States also used a clandestine base in Chad to organize captured Libyan soldiers into an anti-Gaddafi force in the late 1980s.” HRW also claims “Despite Habré’s abduction of the French anthropologist Françoise Claustre in 1974 and the murder of Captain Pierre Galloping, who went to Chad to negotiate her release in 1975, France also supported Habré after he arrived in power, providing him with arms, logistical support and information, and carrying out military operations “Manta” (1983) and “Hawk” (1986) to help Chad push back Libyan forces.”

Habré is accused of thousands of political killings and systematic torture during his rule, from 1982 to 1990, when he was deposed by the current president, Idriss Déby Itno, and fled to Senegal. After a 22-year campaign by his victims, the chambers indicted Habré in July 2013 for crimes against humanity, torture, and war crimes and placed him in pretrial custody. After a 19-month investigation, judges of the Extraordinary African Chambers found that there was sufficient evidence for Habre to face trial. 

The advent of the trial, almost 25 years after Habré’s fall, is entirely due to the perseverance of Habré’s victims and their allies in nongovernmental groups.  When Habré was arrested in July 2013, the Toronto lauded “one of the world’s most patient and tenacious campaigns for justice. “The New York Times wrote that the “case has proved unusual for the tenacity of his victims, and of Human Rights Watch, in seeking to bring him to justice.”  Habré was first indicted by a Senegalese judge in 2000, but for the next 12 years the Senegalese government of former President Abdoulaye Wade subjected the victims to what the Nobel Peace Prize winner Archbishop Desmond Tutu and 117 groups from 25 African countries described as an “interminable political and legal soap opera.” It was only in 2012, when Macky Sall became president of Senegal and the International Court of Justice ordered Senegal to prosecute or extradite Habré that progress was made toward the trial. 

Whatever time it may take dictators shall be brought to justice and pay the price for their crime. The trial of Harbe is a warning to al dictators on earth particularly to the TPLF gangs.

Continental Darkness V Political Darkness: Is Obama in the Dark?

Zenebe G Tamirat

When I was in school several years ago, my country Ethiopia depended on European teachers, particularly the British to educate its youth. To add insult to injury, it also depended on textbooks originated in Europe. Consequently, I was taught that” Africa was a “Dark Continent."   I did not exactly know why the Europeans adamantly called Africa the “Dark Continent" and yet scramble to live in it. As a child, however, I had to accept this derogative branding of my beautiful continent but always with doubt and illusion.

Here, I may be encountered as to what I had done about the illusion in my mind. I didn't dare to ask an explanation; for, I knew had I asked, I wouldn't go to the next class. So, I forgot about it choosing to remain in solipsism but always certain that my country, Ethiopia, a proud African nation, had never been in the dark.  Later when I grew up, I learnt it has been one of the cradles of civilizations ushering light to the darkness in Europe as illustrated in the book of  Enoch. (Ethiopian name Henoch. See the Book of Henoch, in the 81 Book of the Bible, Amharic Version).  Enoch was an Ethiopian Evangelical revelationist who wrote spiritual revelations in the Old Testament similar to that of the revelation of John in the New Testament. His line of birth is accredited to be in the the seventh generation of Adam (Genesis 18)*. 

The cause that inspired me to recap this falsified branding of my continent as dark after I evacuated it from my memory for over half a century was an incredible story by itself. It was not until a few days ago, when President Obama’s trip to Africa was disclosed that this thought of my childhood had to haunt me once again.  It wasn't for bad. It was solely to enable me discover a new political terminology, that I later called  “Political darkness." Let me explain. Political darkness is a situation that occurs when political leaders, be they, in the power of leading nations, or party officials struggling for power, make horrendous decisions engulfed in their fantasy.

                                                                                        
Under such circumstances, leaders think adamantly that they were right to take that particular decision and never listen to dissenting' opinions. What is worse is that there exist a bunch of their advisory teams standing by their sides and urging them to hastily exercise the wrong decision. (A good example is the role of the neo-conservatives in the Junior Bush Administration in the decision of the War in Iraq in 2001). In effect, no power of knowledge will reverse their decision. Napoleon has done this, sitting in the dark. So did, Hitler, declaring war against full world nations and Saddam Hussein did the same thing, invading the UAE, (Kuwait) and claiming it was originally a part of Iraq. And, of course, Bush, swarmed in the fantasy of the non-existing WMD in Iraq. I am not saying that these are the only leaders sitting in the dark passing horehounds and destructive political decisions. I am just mentioning a few among many. One common thing is true among these leaders. In reaching politically dark decisions they all indulge in the dark and swarm in fantasy and assume that the other side was dark, and they have to usher light.

Obama’s decision to visit Ethiopia was like the fantasy described here.  In fact, it is the latest "Political darkness" to take place in the history of the United States created by the fantasy of "US-Ethiopia Anti-Terrorist Partnership.” Infatuated by the success of crippling the Al-Shabab in Somalia at the expense of the lives of Ethiopian soldiers the president overlooks Ethiopia’s position as a prison land where democracy is handcuffed and locked behind the bar. President Obama and his team of advisers know this from the very backyard of the White House that disclosed Ethiopia's gravely poor human rights performance in 2014. And yet their fantasy covers their thoughts and place them in "politica darkness." Obama and his team of advisers know that the ruling party in Ethiopia is a collection of tyrants who dominate political power by force. However, their greed surpasses their vows to stay in the parameter of the American Constitution. Hence, hang on in a honeymoon with dictators violating the American Constitution and undermining the dignity of the people of the United States.

Of course, there exists a solid friendship of over one hundred and ten years between Ethiopia and the United States. But this friendship should be based on the peoples of the two nations and not between parties and individuals. The role of parties and individuals is to contribute to the strength of this friendship towards the creation of mutual benefit between the two nations. In lieu with this, former presidents of the United States, particularly, President Roosevelt, Dwight Eisenhower, Kennedy and Johnson have done a lot to keep the Ethio-US relationship in line with best foreign policy the Constitution provides. Similarly, on the part of Ethiopia, Emperor Minilik II, and Emperor Haile Selassie have contributed to the formation and strength of the friendship of the the peoples of the two nations. As the United States continues to become the more hegmonic power of the world, however, presidents like that of President Carter failed to keep the friendship intact. That is when the Soviet Communists came to intercept the Ethio-US friendship; by the failure of Carter’s  foreign policy. Consequently, the people of both nations suffered. From this experience, we can learn that the role of an American president in the relationship between the two countries is paramount.

Now, we do not want that kind of failure to take place again and destruct the Ethiopian- American friendship. In realization of this unfortunate consequences, the Ethiopian  Diaspora in the United States has been doing its best to keep, Ethiopian-American relationship intact. The US congress ruling on Democracy in Ethiopia (Congressional Record –Senate Vol 153, August 3, 2007), for example, is the common effort of the the US Republic Party and the Ethiopian Diaspora to sustain democracy in Ethiopia.

I appreciate President Obama’s effort to solidify the Afro-American relationship, in which Ethiopia is a core nation. I, however, doubt his invitation to some African countries in Washington DC, last year in an attempt to form a mini OAU in North America was perfect. My doubt is mainly about the insufficiency if not the lack of the participation of the Diaspora. I believe, the president would be better off with views and ideas of divert communities. I also did not like his lack of guts and stamina to tell Desalegn that his human right performance was insufficient during their meeting last year. 

 
Obama’s visit to Ethiopia at a time in which  critical political crime is being committed by the ruling party is considered not only as approving the transgressions but also as an insult to the nearly one hundred million Ethiopians. It is a political suicide committed hanging on political darkness. In fact, President Obama is not the first president to consider visiting Ethiopia. President Clinton had thought about it, so had  President George Bush. They did not do it because visiting tyrant Ethiopia was below the dignity of democratic America and its presidents.

President Obama has to choose between his dignity and his relationship with tyranny in Ethiopia. President Obama has to choose between friendship to the people of Ethiopia and his friendliness to the tyrants at home. He should also consider his loyalty particularly to the friendly Ethiopian-Americans in the Diaspora who voted to his presidency and who are also the interest of the United States of America.  This will allow retain the friendly relations between Ethiopians and Americans. My best advise to President Obama is to cancel his trip to Ethiopia.

*For those who may be interested in the Book of Enoch I recommend to read chapter 2, in the 81 books of the Holy Bible.

The writer Zenebe Tamirat is available at ztamira@yahoo.com

follow @ZenebeTamirat, Negoudguadzeneb@twitter.com

Happy Connecting. Sent from my Sprint Samsung Galaxy S® 5