BY ADDISALEM MULAT
Today’s exclusive column guest goes by the name of Colonel Tamiru Hailu, who was one of the former Ethiopian Airborne members. He was born and raised in Addis Ababa at a special place called Jan Meda where sophisticated military scene and other mesmerizing undertakings have always been witnessed.
Following his extraordinary capacity, he ended up joining the special forces of Ethiopian airborne, and as time progressed, having taken a variety of trainings, he was recruited to be a trainer.
The Ethiopian Herald would like to present a sip of his military life and his comment on the current Ethiopian situation in relation to the Tigray People Liberation Front (TPLF) irrelevant acts.
Excerpts:
Why the Tigray People Liberation Front (TPLF), do you think, took that kind of barbaric action against the Northern Defense Base?
As far as I am concerned, the major reason why the TPLF junta officials skirmished with the Northern Command of the Ethiopian National Defense Forces (ENF) emanated from their selfish interest and ill-equipped mission to quench power monger spirit. Everyone is well aware that nothing makes them happier than fattening their pockets at the expense of their compatriots and making lives harder for the general public.
In the same vein, the other reason is that the TPLF junta officials fear that they would lose the whole lot they have collected from all over the country in an illegal means. They as well fear that as time goes by they will be made to return everything they have looted from Ethiopians residing in every corridor of the country in next to no time.
However, at the end of the day, they made up their mind to attack the Northern Command of the ENDF thinking that they would be victorious over them and come to power with no trouble at the earliest convenience.
Be that as it may, the cruel and unkind TPLF junta officials did not expect they would face such humiliation in the history of the country. I have the nerve to say, they are devils made in the image of human beings and did not even know how to take the bull by the horns. I have the courage to say, they do not have the guts.
How do you see the attack carried out on the Northern Command of the ENDF in terms of military discipline?
From the very beginning, there was a problem concerning establishing the base. One of the saddest things is that the Ethiopian soldiers set in motion attaching importance to division giving the cold shoulder to unity that serves the country as a pillar for centuries.
They opened fire on their companions from within without prior notice bringing about inconceivable human anguishes, signifying life-threatening brutality, and demonstrating unmatched disloyalty.
To be honest, there is no crime worse than attacking the Northern Command. Though these people put on military uniforms, they were not real soldiers. In military discipline opening an attack on comrades is considered treasonous and being notorious cowards.
On the other hand, the government of Ethiopia has been taking law enforcement oppression in the state of Tigray following the attack on the Northern Command.
However, some print and electronic media outlets make an effort to twist the reality on the ground and give a new direction. They are getting off the right track with the purpose of confusing the general public. Everybody should know the fact that the government of Ethiopia is not at war with the people of Tigray. This key point should be underlined.
The intentions of the continuing law enforcement operation give emphasis to demobilizing the TPLF Junta officials, refurbishing authentic government to the Tigray state, putting law and order into effect, and other related aspects.
How would you describe the former Ethiopian armed forces?
To be honest, talking about the former Ethiopian armed forces in a few words is easier said than done. It is as easy as falling off a log. They were unique creatures who persistently gave priority to their motherland and the general society from which they came out.
They did not have hidden agenda except giving their all for their motherland. As they did not care a fig about making money and collecting wealth, their only wealth was Ethiopia and its people. They were giving their all for their motherland without batting an eyelash given that their country is the apple of their eyes.
The former Ethiopian armed forces were very unique and incomparable, too. Above and beyond, they are as different as chalk and cheese, and entirely different from the TPLF cliques that attacked the Northern Command brutally. They did not know the nuts and bolts of the military discipline except carrying out the whole thing in their way.
What was the mindset and posture of the former Ethiopian forces like?
When I was a soldier, all and sundry were making an effort to carry out their duties and responsibilities as they should be. They did not give a shit for clothes, foods, drinks, and so on and so forth. They had a very powerful personality and military discipline. When they ran out of shoes, they bought another one almost immediately using their personal finances. They are madly in love with their country.
It is said that during the Derg regime the Ethiopian soldiers were defeated due to TPLF junta officials’ conspiracies. How much is it true? Would you elaborate on this?
It is very true. No need of raising this question. I was in the military since I reached the age of adolescence. Nobody was able to defeat us in all battlefields that I partook. I would say, heroism was the culture of the soldiers. During our time, there were no divisions amid the soldiers. We were constantly accomplishing our missions with flying colors.
However, as time went by, the mischievous TPLF cliques embarked on hiding themselves amid the Ethiopian soldiers. There were tricks in every battle. They were stabbing us in the back time and again. For instance, if we turned out to be victorious on a certain battlefield, we were told to leave the area in a little while.
By the same token, if we are run out of bullets, they will not bring us bullets. Sad as it may sound when we requested bullets, they sent irrelevant things. To put it shortly, they were not in the position to lend their ears. They were turning a blind eye over and over again.
At that specific point, as the general public was not that happy concerning the Derg regime, they began supporting the TPLF junta members thinking that they would pull them out of the yoke of oppression.
As time went by, they came
to power. They did not defeat us, but it is the general public who defeated us.
It was a big shame. To the surprise of everyone, they did not give credit to
the general public. They did not say anything regarding the support of the
general public instead they always expound that they are brave equaled by none.
What did you feel when the former Ethiopian soldiers lose ground?
Personally, I did not feel anything. As I knew the true potential of the soldiers, something pinched me in the corner of my heart. To be honest, there were quite a lot of military experts who knew the nitty-gritty of military strategies like the palm of their hands.
They had been forced to scatter in the left, right, and center of the country. In the fullness of time, I realized the fact that the TPLF Junta officials did not want to make use of this potential and care about Ethiopia. I realized that something was going on behind closed curtains.
During the Ethio-Eritrea war senior Ethiopian military officials got themselves involved in the war. What do you make of it?
They made the right decision at the right time. I would say, the army is pretty equivalent with the entire nation. At that point, the general public was partaking in supporting the soldiers to be victorious over the enemy forces time and time again. However, at the end of the day, the former Ethiopian armies played a major role in defending their motherland.
Even today, if something happens to their country, none of them will refrain from playing a part in defending their motherland. They will not hesitate for a fraction of a second to get themselves engaged in safeguarding their motherland and give their lives for their motherland.
Though my colleagues and I were displeased with what the TPLF Junta officials did to us, we participated in the war for defending our motherland. The decision is not that surprising seeing that we give priority to our motherland.
The former Ethiopian soldiers love their motherland more than anything under the sun as they had all the time given priority to their motherland. They place importance on their motherland. Every so often, Ethiopia is in their hearts.
Back in the day, nobody tosses race and ethnicity around except Ethiopianism. They did not care where the soldiers were from. Though there were soldiers drawn from the various Nations, Nationalities, and peoples of Ethiopia, we did not ask the whereabouts of anyone of them since there is a prestigious nationality that has cemented us together forever—Ethiopians.
What is your reflection on the reform taking place in the Ethiopian National Defense forces?
To the best of my knowledge, the reform being taken in the ENDF is the right one. It is being completed. The reform will take the ENDF to the next level of success down the road without a doubt. In due course of carrying out the reforms, the government of Ethiopia has to attach importance to build strong armies who strongly believe in Ethiopia.
By whatever means, the requirements do not have to incorporate race and ethnicity. To your surprise, had it not been the case of the reform in the military, immeasurable damage would have been witnessed all over the country.
What did you feel when you partook in the airborne graduation as one of the guests?
I turned out to be infinitely happy. I was feeling on top of the world. Before the graduation ceremony, aside from providing them with advice regarding the training, I was supporting them through training. I was very much satisfied. I was taken by surprise.
As I have seen before my very eyes, if we can build soldiers who love their country with all their hearts, we can build the right soldiers and military members in the right place at the right time.
To my mind, though I do not have evidence-based research, I have the nerve to say, the Ethiopian soldiers embarked on losing the sense of Ethiopiansim in 1992. During the Derg regime, the requirement to be a soldier was merely Ethiopian-ness.
As ill-luck would have it, when the new army was established, the requirements to be a soldier turned out to be race and ethnicity. To this end, we set in motion building soldiers who do not care about their country and attach importance to their ethnic lines.
Thank you for your time!
You are welcome!
The Ethiopian herald December 8/2020
