To: Gregory W. Meeks, U.S Representative, New York’s 5th District
2310 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C 20515
Tel: (202) 225-3461- (718) 725-725-6000- (347) 230-4032
Judd Devermont, Director African Program- tmukulu@csis.org
cc. Karen Bass, U.S Representative, California 37th District- (202) 225-7084
Dick Durbin, U.S Senator, Illinois
Tammy Duckworth, U.S Senator, Illinois
Bernie Sanders, U.S Senator, Vermont
RE: 2/1/2021 Africa Program – CSIS| Center for Strategic & International Studies
Featuring- Chairman Gregory W. Meeks (D-NY)
African Journalist:
Rosebell Kagumire – Uganda
Tsedale Lemma – Ethiopia
Dear Congressman Gregory W. Meeks, U.S Representative
Greetings:
I trust my letter finds you well and hope you, your family & friends are staying safe during the unprecedented times of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Please allow me to introduce myself. I am Kidist Birru, born and raised in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. I moved to the US while a preteen due to Ethiopia’s 1990s political instability. I lived in Hide Park, on the South Side of Chicago for some time where my senator used to be Barack Obama. Like many diaspora Ethiopians, I supported and worked on his campaign for President. What a pleasure that was!
I watched the CSIS’s panel discussion on 2/1/2021. Rep. Gregory Meeks’ innovative development vision for Africa and involving Africans and African Americans in those plans is exciting.
While the Ugandan panelist Ms. Rosebell Kagumire seemed objective, the Ethiopian panelist Ms. Tsedale Lemma’s remarks were misleading and just plain inaccurate. And rather than being journalistic, could have been delivered by any TPLF representative. In fact, she has been embedded with and writing news about the TPLF for decades. Ms. Tsedale Lemma, rather than being a journalist, has been supporting, praising and covering up TPLF’s abuses for more than 20 years. These include redefining:
- Ethnic division, including family separation, as increased democracy.
- Appropriation of land and businesses for the TPLF, as fairness to an oppressed people.
- Jailing/killing of numerous opposition figures and journalists, as controlling terrorism.
- Numerous crimes against humanity.
For those aligned with the TPLF, there is no correlation between journalism and facts or actual events. The only goal is to influence the Euro-American media and government. Case in point, comparing Yoweri Museveni of Uganda to Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.
A sample of Tsedale Lemma’s distortions include
- “Civil war in the dark” – absurdly comparing the current situation to Uganda’s dark election, suppressing opposition – ignoring Federal election board order by holding an illegal election.
- “US to pull leverage immediately” – ordering the withdrawal of Eritrean forces from Tigray, when they were stationed, as they have been for decades, on the other side of the border from Tigray in Eritrea.
- “2 Million people displaced due to the Civil war” – when the entire adult population of Tigray is no approx. 2.5 million.
- “Humanitarian Aid Access blocked by the Gov. of Ethiopia” – true only during the 3 weeks of fighting.
- “Militarizing political system” – “pot calling kettle black.”
Prime Minister Abiy came to power only two years ago, displacing the ethnic TPLF-run government with a coalition of all ethnic groups. Immediately afterward, the TPLF began moving money, soldiers (whose leadership was all ethnic Tigray), and arms to Tigray state, readying themselves even then to return to power. It is not a coincidence TPLF had been concentrating military equipment to the Tigray Region during the last 27 years when they were in power. Note, Tigray is only 6% of the entire population of about 115M in Ethiopia.
Despite PM Dr. Abiy’s consistent display of patience with TPLF leaders, trying to persuade them to join in his effort to build a new Ethiopia, build democracy & prosperity, to advance the nation, the TPLF time and time again frustrated or sabotaged his agenda. When the Federal court was investigating claims of torture, the accused refused to appear, hidden in Tigray by the TPLF leaders. This was also the case with many accused corrupt officials. These attempts to enforce the rule of law were attacked daily in Tigrai media and through their Western propaganda PR campaigns.
Sekuture
Getachew, a
high-level TPLF official, admitted on the “Voice of TPLF:
Dimsti Weyane TV show that the TPLF conducted a “preemptive strike” against the Ethiopian National Defense Forces, Northern Command. Soon after, the Mai-khadra genocidal massacre of ethnic Amhara farmers was carried out by the TPLF-trained Samra youth group.
This attack was the last straw. When the PM/Commander in Chief responded with military force, the TPLF propaganda machine was quick to reframe the situation to their advantage, via “journalists” and their other Western contacts. (By the way, Tewodros Adhanom of WHO is also a TPLF central committee member).
I am not blaming you or the CSIS for your understandable belief in how Ethiopia has been portrayed and dealt with since the Carter administration.
Perhaps the articles by Lawrence Freeman, “Biased Media Attacks on Ethiopia Endangered Horn of Africa Region” (https://tesfanews.net/biased-media-attacks-ethiopia-endangered-horn-of-africa/) and “Cuts to US Aid Harm Ethiopia and other African States (https://newafricadaily.com/taxonomy/term/710) will give you needed perspective and a more complete picture than I can here.
My purpose is to reveal the facts of the situation to the new Biden administration to further our shared goal of a free democratic society in Ethiopia. I am sure you are aware of Ethiopia’s many historical contributions to Africa, to African Americans and humanity. I hope these good deeds will be remembered and create space for your rethinking of how to support about 115 million always hopeful souls.
I write to you with great urgency to reveal the plight of my people to you, Honorable U.S Representative as Chairman of CSIS, on behalf of many Ethiopian Americans who have seen the TPLF-created instability and ethnic conflict tear their friends, relatives and country apart. There must be space made for alternative views of the current political climate of Ethiopia.
Thank you for taking the time to read my letter. I look forward to hearing from you regarding your views, thoughts and most importantly, approach to Ethiopia’s political state.
Sincerely,
Kidist Birru
The Ethiopian Herald March 9/2021
