BY GETACHEW MINAS
The reign of terror is anarchic which is skeptical of authority and rejects all forms of hierarchy. The terrorist calls for the abolition of the state, which it believes to be undesirable unless it comes under its control. In this regard, the TPLF in Ethiopia was terrorist Marxist-Leninist left movement that was strongly anti-capitalist. Its history of anarchism goes back to the period when the Derg, the Socialist Military Government of Ethiopia, was in power in the country. The TPLF had forced its socialist ideology on the people of Tigray, where anarchy reigned for decades until the front came to power in Ethiopia. The hangover of socialism continued to float camouflaged in “Revolutionary Democracy” of the ruling party. This was only a misnomer and contradiction to the true democracy with which the TPLF confused the Western society.
With the reign of organized hierarchical Revolutionary Democracy (RD), skepticism toward Ethiopian authority arose, but it was not until a self-conscious political movement emerged in 2018 Ethiopians have been forced to suffer from anarchically ethnic rule of RD before the coming to power of the current government. The government is now trying to create democratic rule despite facing all kinds of political, economic and social problems inherited from the past.
Upon expulsion from power by the people of Ethiopia, the TPLF transformed itself into an armed gang that created havoc and anarchy in the country. Having amassed funds and resources in foreign currencies, it started its campaign on two fronts. Domestically, it conducted armed struggle, in which it engaged child soldiers, which countered the UN conventions on children. On the external front, it engaged lobbyists at exorbitant charges. These lobbyists had no idea about the real politic in Ethiopia. They only wanted the periodic rent they receive from the junta.
The lobbyists did not really care to know that the TPLF engaged in anarchist endeavors to regain the lost political power. The fertile ground for anarchism was social unrest with which it was associated and acquired only instant gratification. It was only instantaneous benefit that would not lead it to any the political gain. The junta sought to regain power with which it had vandalized, wrecked and destroyed the economy of the country. It had been crafting a “War Economy” with which it would amass wealth and have access to precious resources. This had provided it with gratification in the past at the expense of the poor people of Ethiopia.
Anarchist movements flourished in most parts of Ethiopia and had significant roles in destabilizing peasant associations in the rural parts of the country. Various anarchist liberation movements and armed gangs had flourished under the auspices of the TPLF. These anarchists had taken part in several skirmishes with the Derg. This government was itself a military junta that had usurped power, summarily murdering the imperial family and cabinet members and religious leaders. It had also offended most of the urban people through its nationalization of urban land, extra houses and private enterprises, including financial institutions. It had taken these measures through the instigation, prompting and urging by the so-called civilian communists in Ethiopia. These communists, including the TPLF gurus, had a shallow reading of the Marxist philosophy.
Liberation fronts: The civilian communists that guided the Derg junta immediately after its usurpation of power had been splintered and fractured. The so-called civilian communists had disintegrated themselves along petty strands of ideology. Each of these political groups had tried to influence the armed Derg to its line of political thoughts. They had eliminated each other in what was known as White Terror to which the Derg responded with Red Terror, eliminating any elements of opposition to its rule. The military government had also faced liberation fronts that began armed struggle in different parts of Ethiopia. Two of these movements, the EPLF of Eritrea and the TPLF succeeded in their missions. The latter one ruled Ethiopia for 27 years, as a “liberation front” reflecting its internal contradiction as a ruling party. With these achievements the reign of partisan terrorism seemed to have come to an end. But, state terrorism had continued and people had prayed for the end of the TPLF regime, replaced even by a Satan.
During the past decades, the anarchist movements had reemerged once more. They had employed a diversity of tactics to meet their evil ends. These could broadly be separated into revolutionary and evolutionary movements. There was, however, an overlap between these two. Revolutionary movement aimed at the immediate shattering of state authority with “violent” measures. On the other hand, evolutionary strategy aimed at creating anarchist society through time. In this strategy, anarchist thoughts, criticisms, and practices were considered part and parcel of a stable society. The criticism against anarchism was, however, focused on its internal inconsistency, violence or utopianism that gave emphasis to societal disorder.
Various revolutionary factions labeled their opponents as anarchists. These opponents contributed to the anarchist doctrines, but did not use anarchist or anarchism in describing themselves or their beliefs, as the TPLF junta did. They reserved the title of Marxist functionary that seemed to associate with authoritarian socialist or a vanguard party. Additionally, they tried to avoid the negative connotations of anarchism and emphasized connections with socialism. The TPLF gangs generally used anarchism as their guide. They state “only until” they usurped power. They could win the socialist Derg in several battle fronts with the strong support of the EPLF, the Somali irredentists and the capitalist West. The West wanted to break the backbone of the Derg that harbored socialism. As true socialists, the gangs could temporarily win the heart of Ethiopian people that had already lost all faiths in military socialism. To win the people, the Derg declared “Mixed Economy,” as a drowning entity trying to catch a straw in deep water.
Ethiopians want to live in a non-coercive society, rejecting the state apparatus that deprives them of their human rights. Having suffered from the coercive rules of the Derg and the TPLF regimes, they do not want to suffer again from any sort of hierarchical atrocities. They wish to exist as humans and achieve progress toward a democratic society, free from anarchy. They do not want political intrigues in the name of liberation movements that intend to grasp power at any cost. They dream of an elected government that respects law and order and abides by the Constitution of the country, revised or approved by a referendum. These acts are the true precursors or signs of the true renaissance of the country. Otherwise, liberation fronts are only a short-cut to political power, an instrument for stealing the wealth of the country as experienced in the past.
Ethiopians want an established and elected government that ensures the liberty, freedom, and democratic rule in their country. They desire the reestablishment of institutions of authority that ensure the exercise of law and order and human rights. They abhor anachronistic anarchy which deprives them of their human dignity in the modern era. The most notable precursors to practical anarchism were philosophical in their nature. Anarchic attitudes were articulated by tragic illustrations such as eliminating law and order from the society, which would result in the absolute abuse of human rights. These abuses include torture, cutting of body parts, sexual abuse, live burial of innocents, bayoneting of pregnant women to kill male fetuses, exhuming or disentombing for burning of dead bodies. Males were raped, castrated, slaughtered and trounced. Girls were raped and infanticide was common. These are some of the excruciating scenes religious Ethiopians have been subjected to by the TPLF for just being from a different ethnic group.
Misnomer of freedom: It is useful to illustrate the conflict between rules set by the TPLF and personal autonomy. People silently and secretly questioned authorities constantly and insisted on the right of individuals to freedom of conscience. Members of the ruling junta dismissed human rights that remained on the Constitutional paper to satisfy the Western collaborators and paid lobbyists. Authorities lived in luxury with their laundered money in safe Western banks. At the height of their power they misappropriated the wealth of the country unbridled and unrestrained. After merging the three branches of government in the hands of the TPLF, there reigned a semi-controlled anarchy. With all powers controlled by a ruling party, those apparatchiks had created their personal domain for conducting corrupt practices anarchically.
Corruption is essentially anarchic that evades law and order, in which party apparatchiks dictated personal rules in their zones of appointment or influence. This kind of tradition later gave birth to religious anarchism in which leaders exercised a kind of hidden corruption. The reign of terror permeated the so-called religious domain, where the clergy remained divided along ethnic lines. Religious people have been forced to surrender their freedom to the ethnic religious authorities within the strongly hierarchical establishment. There has been a strong opposition to the religious authorities which led to the temporary shutting down of a few holy places.
Terrorist ideas and actions have been ignited after the fall of the TPLF regime. It has forced the regimentation of rural and urban dwellers along ethnic lines. It has also enforced its will with coercion and physical abuse. Innocent comments and queries were taken as opposition to the ruling party. Several innocent persons ended up in jail or killed for raising questions. Partisan groups saw a turning point in the fermentation of anti-state sentiments. The first currents of opposition developed by organized groups seeking changes some three years ago. The ruling party has been morally delegitimized and this paved the way to change of government. A wave of unprecedented hibernation of the ruling junta occurred as it settled in Tigray configuring and praying for the reign of anarchism throughout Ethiopia once again.
Conclusion: As a Marxist, the TPLF aimed at the dictatorship of the proletariat and allied itself with world communists near the end of its rule in Ethiopia. This is in line with its collectivist anarchism that is designed to reign in the country. Its design is supported by the Western authorities that have been misled by lobbyists under the pay of the socialist junta. With its lately redesigned strategy it is currently opposed to state socialism, advocating capitalism and private property holdings. After bitter internal disputes, the junta has expelled some party apparatchiks to show some color of inner party democracy with the intent to win the Western powers. So far, it has succeeded with the help of lobbyists.
Recently, Ethiopians residing in the US have been able to show open minded Americans the truth about the political situation in their country. With truth behind them, they have not tried to pay lobbyist to present their case to members of the US Congress and Administration. Ultimately, the truth prevails heralding the global success of Ethiopians. Domestically, the GERD and other development projects financed by Ethiopians would result in reducing and finally eliminating poverty. In this regard, the developed world should help the poor countries of Africa, including Ethiopia, in their efforts to develop and win poverty and end the “reign of terror.”
Editor’s Note: The views entertained in this article do not necessarily reflect the stance of The Ethiopian Herald
The Ethiopian Herald August 22/2021
