BY SOLOMON WASSIHUN
Over the last half-century, Ethiopia had experienced two notable miscarriages of democratic system. The first is the transition period of the early 70s’ and the second being the transition period in the early 90s’. Now almost after three decades, Ethiopia is in the midst of yet another round of excruciatingly painful and long labor [almost 3 years] to deliver genuine democracy.
What makes the latest period of transition from the previous ones different is that this time around Ethiopia has to deliver what is conceived. Abortion/miscarriageis not an option, as it severely jeopardizes the very survival of the nation itself.
We feel optimistic that Ethiopia will go through this painful time and ultimately deliver the system citizens have been longing for decades. The reason for our optimism is encouraging works and plans are being executed by the Ethiopian leadership with a view of laying the grounds for pillars of genuine democracy as well as setting the nation on the right track to prosperity.
The country has now ratified a 10-year development plan; a well-researched homegrown multi-dimensional plan to bring quality based economic growth, and already introduced multi-sectoral structural reforms that envisage promoting the country to the club of middle-income nations.
The nation is also on preparations to conduct on the coming June, what is expected to be, the first free and fair general election to see to it that a democratically elected government assumes power for the first time in the countries old nation’s history.
The most important development flagship project, the GERD project, which Ethiopians consider as the engine that propels Ethiopia’s drive to prosperity, is well underway to achieve the most decisive 2nd round filling stage by the coming rainy season. It has also launched two satellites into orbit within a year.
These and other reform and development endeavors the country engaged in are loud and clear testimony to the fact that the country is now at the end of the runway to take off from the ground of poverty and fly the epic journey to prosperity.
While this rosy situation makes Ethiopians optimistic about the future of their country, it is a cause of great worry for Ethiopia’s enemies. The latter would do anything to stop Ethiopia from taking off. Much as they know it is very unlikely, Ethiopian enemies would do anything to realize that.
It is now or never to make their desperate attempt to stop Ethiopia from its flight to prosperity. This explains why Ethiopia is under the barrage of several attempts on its sovereignty in recent years with a frequency it never experienced.
In June 2019, the Ethiopian government foiled a major evil plot is described as a coup attempt in the Amhara region, in which and the country’s military chief, as well as senior Amhara regional state officials, were perished along with several others.
It was by far the earliest major devilish attempt by Ethiopia’s enemies, and traitors, since the assassination attempt made on the Premier a year earlier in June 2018, with hidden agenda to throw Ethiopia into a nationwide ethnic and religious conflict.
It is also to be recalled that after few months in October 2018, rebellious Ethiopian soldiers backed by TPLF, had caused a serious security incident in the federal government’s statehouseunder a pretext of protest over pay.
Few months after the bloody ‘coup attempt’, on 23 October 2019, violent unrest perpetrated by anti-Ethiopian elements backed by foreign powers, had resulted in the killing of at least 86 people, mostly by mobs targeting ethnic and religious minorities within the Oromia Region and surrounding areas, including Addis Ababa, Dire Dawa, and the Harari Region.
In addition to the tragic loss of innocent lives, the unrest has cost the nation huge losses in damaged properties by arson and looting. There were also attempts to burn churches and mosques.
Then eight months later, in June 2020, an even more sinister plot, carefully planned and more organized plot, evidently backed by foreign adversaries like Egypt to dislodge the federal government from power, took place. As the plot of the previous year [June 1919], this plot’s strategy was to execute numerous high profile assassinations.
Fortunately, the plot was successfully thwarted before it went far and got time to achieve its ultimate aim of igniting the country with civil war. Nevertheless, the devilish plotters have succeeded in killing one public figure, a highly celebrated young musician, whose assassination sent shock waves of lawlessness across the largest region, Oromia as well as in the capital city, Dire Dawa, and Harari region. The riots have caused the deaths of at least 239 people and the destruction of private and public properties worth several million Birr.
About 5 months after the highly devastating riot of last June, on 3 November, TPLF, backed by foreign adversaries, has shown to the world its true colors by attempting to execute the plot it designed for 2 years intending to spark a civil war and disintegrate the nation into fragments of lawless territories of warlords and breeding ground for extremists.
The now-defunct TPLF’s plot was by far the most serious one of all plots made recently against Ethiopia, not only in terms of its cost in citizens life and material loss but rather in its dangerous strategy-disbanding the Ethiopian National Defense Force by dividing its members into ethnic lines and turning them against each other.
However, the patriotic gallantry and the sheer military professionalism of the majority of ENDF members compounded with their anger over the betrayal and inhumane act of the traitors have sent TPLF’s dream of disintegrating Ethiopia into smoke within 3 weeks of operations. After the atrocious way TPLF mistreated the ENDF, it was poetic justice that TPLF has been wipe out of existence.
The Ethiopian leadership not only scored an irrevocable military victory over Ethiopian enemies in the legitimate and justified Tigray operation, but also a diplomatic victory recognized by the international community. Despite concerted media campaigns and diplomatic plots to hide the truth on the ground, the patriotic Ethiopian Diaspora and diplomats have managed to present objective reality against the fabricated lies and treachery of the traitors.
Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat for instance has recognized the law enforcement operation in Tigray as an appropriate measure taken to defend the sovereignty of the nation. He commended the Government of Ethiopia for its bold steps to preserve the integrity of the country.
Djiboutian and Ugandan authorities have also publicly expressed their outright support for the Ethiopian government’s legitimate defensive action against attempts on the country’s sovereignty and survival.
A month after the demise of TPLF, Ethiopia’s enemies are actively working on plots to drive a wedge between Ethiopia and its neighboring countries by fanning the fires of minor issues into a bone of contention with the hope of creating regional war.
Cognizant of the ultimate motives of these intentions and focusing on the bigger picture, the Ethiopian leadership has exercised utmost patience and tenacity in its bid to amicably resolve the minor issues by prioritizing diplomatic engagements despite the persistent incident of provocations seen in border areas.
Over the last two weeks, senior members of the Ethiopian leadership were busily engaged in bilateral and multilateral regional talks with leaders of neighboring countries.
The premier’s visit in Kenya, the meeting he had with his Sudanese counterpart in Addis Ababa, his attendance of the 38th IGAD Summit in Djibouti as well the talks the Vice Premier had with Sudanese authorities in Khartoum, and other diplomatic events were all happened within a few days recently.
This is indicative of Ethiopia’s enthusiasm and conviction in working for the common good and its readiness for co-operation to jointly neutralize plots aiming for destabilizing the sub-region.
Ethiopia’s enemies have continued to actively engage in taking advantage of the porous borders of the country to facilitate their criminal activities and conduct ethnic-based mass killing in remote areas of the country with impunity in collaboration with corrupt narrow-minded and racist local government officials in localities like Metekel, Wollega and Konso areas.
Senior federal government officials have been trying to address the root cause of the problem through peaceful dialogue as well as reinforcing the presence of peacekeeping forces in the affected areas.
Last week, the premier himself had been to one of the most conflict-riddled hotspots in the nation, Metekel, to preside over a discussion forum held to bring lasting peace in that region. In his speech at the Metekel peace forum and in the tweet he made a day after his trip to Metekel, he stated: “Nobody has ever succeeded to defeat Ethiopia.
All who tried to annihilate Ethiopia has been annihilated eventually. The current objective of our enemies is to undo the strong blow we unleashed against the Junta [TPLF]. That will never happen!”.
As the Premier stated, Ethiopia is still a strong nation capable of defending its peace and territorial integrity beyond the understanding of its foreign adversaries and the traitors.
Ethiopia’s enemies are too short-sighted to see that, despite their cultural and ethnic diversity, Ethiopians are deeply interwoven and intermingled both in peace and war times by sharing blood, language, culture, and religion.
One prominent Ethiopian politician has recently described Ethiopia as a nation with incredible shock-absorbing capacity. That is a truly amazing insight.
In its thousands of years of existence, the nation has been through gruesome, challenging, and apparently hopeless situations much worse than it faces today. Surely, Ethiopia will soon rise above its present challenges; and would soon declare its renaissance and restore its old glory by taking off for its epic flight to prosperity.
The Ethiopian herald December 30/2020
