BY FITSUM GETACHEW
At the present moment, all the talk in Ethiopia seems to be the urgency of coming together to face the grave danger the country is threatened by. The perception is that there are more than one dangers at the same time. Such perception could be taken as positive but the response must be commensurate to the dangers. Many are urging for a bold and unshakeable leadership not only in the political or diplomatic sphere but also in the military one. Meanwhile, Ethiopians of all walks of life have been pledging to offer whatever would be valuable or necessary to strengthen the defensive capabilities of the state from any foreign interference and pressure. There is the realization that only a united front can keep at bay any sort of foreign interference in our internal affairs threatening our sovereignty.
At the same time, Ethiopians have reiterated their full confidence in their military establishment and its prowess. But one must not exclude that there are always unforeseeable threats or risks of ‘infiltrators’, from the enemy and ‘mercenaries’ from the very bosom of our communities that could try to cause some sort of uncertainty, hesitation or confusion among the rank and files of citizens. These are among the techniques used by enemy forces to create anxiety among citizens and break the bridge between the government
and the people. There are lots of poisonous noises heard in the digital world and we need to be aware of those! People are heard talking about military strategy, victory, defeat etc. contributing to the uncertainty in the psyche of people.
The threats the terrorist TPLF remnants can present are now tangible as they are fielding underage children and the elderly in their provocation. Instead of taking the advantage of using the unilateral cessation of hostilities of the Ethiopian National Defense Forces, this terrorist group has been persisting with attacks on fellow Ethiopians alleging that they are their enemies and would not stop before taking all the revenge they harbour.
In this respect, the prompt and vigorous response of the Amhara and Afar regional security bodies has been observed. People would like to be reassured that whatever propaganda the enemies of Ethiopia may launch, citizens must keep their trust and confidence in their security and defense establishment. This is absolutely vital because we should avoid that people get worries seeing or imaging the enemy larger than life, conditioned by fake news and the voices of propaganda western media have been airing consistently.
We have observed the double standard the international media has been applying when it comes to what is taking place on the battle field and what has been taking place in the diplomatic and propaganda campaign. We have repeatedly noticed that they have been spearheading the propaganda campaign of the terrorist TPLF failing to denounce their usage of child soldiers as well as committing all sorts of atrocities worthy of incrimination as war crimes. They have been hampering all kinds of humanitarian aid from reaching the poor citizens in Tigray to use it as a political weapon.
Some say this conflict has lasted too long and such resilience on the part of the terrorist TPLF forces can only be explained by some sort of support and assistance from alien sources. The failure to condemn all sorts of atrocities committed by the terrorist group is blatant and amounts to a failure on the part of many western governments and their main media outlets. The attempt to create an equivalence between the terrorist TPLF and the legitimate federal government of Ethiopia is an insult that is added to injury. There must be a clear association of these forces with the terrorist TPLF or even outright partisanship and the clear objective is nothing less than to dismember the country! Analysts have been warning this is the main takeaway of what has been happening during the past several months and Ethiopians have now learned more about what it is all about when it comes to TPLF actions not only since the 2018 reforms but even decades before!
If we trust some of the allegations of conspiracy against the unity and strength of Ethiopia secretly planned to destabilize and dismember it so that there will be multiple weak entities that would be eternally dependent on foreign assistance, the age old TPLF dream of creating a new Tigrean State would be prospected in the background. There have been repeated alarms on the hidden agenda of foreign forces not excluding countries such as Egypt which dread a developed and independent Ethiopia sustained by a new trajectory of development capitalizing on the water resources of the Nile.
Ethiopians now have full and unequivocal proof that TPLF as an organisation has made it its raison d’être the disintegration of the state of Ethiopia. This was once a hidden agenda and when critics disclosed it, they were prompt to deny it. Today however after the events of November 1, 2020, it was openly and boldly declared that TPLF wants to achieve this objective. It wants to see Ethiopia vanish and a new Tigrean republic emerge! In fact, it has been decades that the leaders of TPLF have been trying to prepare its constituencies despite the fact that probably the majority of Ethiopians of Tigrean origin are fervent believers and supporters of a united Ethiopian state where all peoples of any ethnic or language origin would live in equality and justice.
The TPLF manifesto and its main leaders have always believed in narrow nationalistic feelings disseminating false and fake narratives some of which are very dangerous and poisonous as well as so irresponsible that if heeded would lead to genocidal tendencies!
Ethiopian society has a long and well established tradition of coexistence or cohabitation among various ethnic groups without having to deny one’s identity. Ethiopian society is a tolerant one with diversity considered as strength and beauty, an asset that could be translated into a locomotive of growth and prosperity. For ages, there have been a lot of intermarriages among various origins and there is nothing surprising if you find a person not being able to trace their origin to only one ethnic or language group. Some individuals are so mixed up in their ethnic origin first by birth and then by marriage that ethnic origin becomes irrelevant for community life.
Trying to form so called ‘regional states’ based on ethnic origin is hence impracticable if not dangerous because millions of Ethiopians would be displaced in their own native town! And this has been what has been taking place in various so called regional states following the forced adoption of this ethnic based federalism that TPLF conceived, developed and imposed on the population. Now that things are getting clearer to all by the day, the real motive, the real purpose and the real objective of the TPLF administration for the last several years with the FDRE Constitution of 1994 was to inject and widen any possible division in the various ethnic groups of the country. In the end, it has been discovered that the real and ultimate goal of the terrorist TPLF has been to break down into pieces Ethiopia!
This is of course an outrageous mission that no healthy Ethiopian would even dream of or sit idle as things move to that direction. As soon as Ethiopians have come to realize this poisonous scheme prepared in collaboration with the archenemies of Ethiopia, they have come out in anger and indignation because they know today’s Ethiopia is the product of immense sacrifice of our patriots’ forefathers who kept intact the country from any foreign invasion.
History is witness that our forefathers fought for years to keep this country united, sovereign and independent. We children and grandchildren can now stand up with dignity and pride and live in peace and not subjugation as has happened to many peoples in other areas. Ethiopians have never settled to sit downtrodden to any force and they have always kept their heads high up defeating every enemy that came around including whites with more organized and sophisticated armies. They never questioned or bothered to be of this or that ethnic origin or faith. They just hang high up the standard of Ethiopia’s nationality with the flag ‘green, yellow and red’!
The spirit of nationalism has always been above intestinal divisions and only a few sick and mentally deranged individuals would imagine to break up such historic bond with the assistance of sworn enemies of Ethiopia for the sake of power. It is sickening to hear that TPLF leaders say that they would ally themselves even with the devil provided they manage to break down the country! This is just disgusting even to imagine let alone see it realized. Maybe these people do not even understand what all this could result in. They may dream to form a republic and be at the helm of a government, but this could never happen as long as there is even one Ethiopian alive! They would have to exterminate each and every Ethiopian in order to realize such paranoiac scheme!
We have lately heard the characterization of the terrorist TPLF and its ideology as ‘cancer’ to Ethiopian society. The sooner it is rooted out or annihilated the better for the entire country including people of the origin where the leaders allege to come from. Many people of Tigrayan origin have asserted with vigour that they would be much better off if such an organisation vanished because it has cost them too much misery and losses for generations now! And all this just to satisfy their lust for power and glory!
They have seen that with three decades of leadership the lives of the majority has not changed for the better while a few selected and highly privileged families have topped world charts of billionaires with property not only in Ethiopia but also in the western capitals, offering luxurious lives to their families and cronies.
Ethiopians have now risen en masse with rage and indignation to once and for all annihilate this poisonous group of individuals who constitute the leadership of TPLF a now openly declared terrorist group which has committed heinous crimes against the entire people of Ethiopia.
Ethiopians as usual will now avoid any of their internal disagreements of any kind to fight in unison this ‘cancer’ of our society once and for all, and they have shown it with the reaction that we see on a daily basis these days.
Ethiopians are now talking about a second Adwa when the entire people of Ethiopia irrespective of their origin or faith came together following the call of having to defend the sovereignty and independence of the nation from an alien aggression, just as it is now the case. We have come to know that there are various forces behind the evil intentions and deeds of the terrorist TPLF and Ethiopians have now decided to put the full weight of their indignation and determination to cancel every remnant force that sides with the terrorist TPLF junta.
Only with the annihilation of this poisonous and terrorist group would not only Ethiopia but also the entire sub-region reacquire peace and stability. Ethiopians realize they can do this by only standing together and being ready for any sacrifice needed.
As peaceful solutions seem to fade totally, Ethiopians are now pushed to the extreme of putting every resource available at whatever cost to defeat this terrorist body.
As the military momentum is bound to increase, so should be the digital war because our stance on a more sustained and intelligent digital battle must increase. Denouncing foreign interference must be among our top priorities and as we battle in the diplomatic sphere. We must also sustain and support our military capabilities with full and uninterrupted commitment. No Ethiopian will sit idle seeing materialize similar imminent threat on our sovereignty.
Editor’s Note: The views entertained in this article do not necessarily reflect the stance of The Ethiopian Herald
The Ethiopian Herald August 12/2021
