Some western countries and the United States were in full support of the TPLF no matter how it maneuvered politics during its tyrannical ruleof the country.During the twenty-seven years in power, the rule of the TPLF was absolutely tyrannical. The junta was acting in total violation of the law in all sector of its administrative machinery. It was negligent of protecting the law only to pursue its own greedy motives that do not have akin to the interest of people of Tigray people that it claims to fight for. Obviously the tyrant usurps the power of the people, oppresses justice, and enslaves the law to its arbitrary whims. Such relentless act is more deadly than anything done against the very body of justice. Philosophically, justice is the most fundamental of all virtues for ordering interpersonal relations and establishing and maintaining a stable political society. On the other hand, others say justice is the interest of the stronger. Indeed, the current political objective reality proves the validity of the latter definition. The stronger party forcefully dictates the weak to comply with to its objectives regardless of the harm it can cause to the community and the country at large. All these were done while the West and the United States were observing with their naked eyes.
For comparison sake, in the United States, the federal department is responsible for enforcing federal laws and all civil rights. As a matter of fact, when TPLF violated those rights, which should be applicable to all human beings every where, it rather appears that they were closely watching in a sort of encouraging the perpetrators to proceed with their crimes.There were no opposing voices from the victims or the ruled.Nobody cared for them; the people were after all irrelevant. Their rights were absolutely snatched from them and trampled on.
The reign of terror in Ethiopia was the time when TPLF was given green light by international community to do anything it deemed proper unchecked. The human rights violations committed to the people of Ethiopia did not bother the powerful nations at all as long as it is not in contrary to their advantages and interest. One can conclude that they provided technical and financial support to help the junta to intensify atrocious activities relentlessly against the interest of its own people. Tyranny was at its peak: thousands were incarcerated for the crime they had not committed and thus were brutally tortured, maimed and eventually killed.
The West and the United States were well aware of the fact how the TPLF miss allocated the money given to it for the development of the country while it was in power. It rather diverted it to its own greedy objectives. International Monetary Fund (IMF), World Bank and World Trade Organization, almost all financial agencies were providing billions of dollars in loan and assistance in the name of humanitarian aid and national development. The irony of the situation is that except the insignificant trickle, the rest of the money was deposited in foreign banks for their personal interest. The loans received were not fully allocated to the earmarked projects but rather embezzled to satisfy their egoistic desire of becoming wealthy at the expense of the people’s livelihood. The propaganda of economic growth (11%) was so much so that the international community was deliberately convinced not to offend the subservient government that ran their errands without any complaint. None of the mega projects in the country that TPLF prided itself on,materialized, despite the immense funds allocated to them.
The geopolitical interest was and is still their (the West and the United States’) primary goal. During that era,the infrastructures like electricity and water were at their lowest efficiency; due to this, industries could not function regularly and frequently and ended up low production.This in effect adversely affected the economy of the country and in turn affected the life of thepeople in the low and lowest strata. The electric blackout was the routine entertainment of the people for they could not do anything about it except bitterly enjoying it. Two economic groups were created during the tyrannical era – the rich and the poor – middle class was literally inexistent.
Democracy in Ethiopia then was at its lowest ebb. The fake democratic election engineered by the West and the United States could not resist the tide of popular opposition throughout the country. Nevertheless, under the guidance and encouragement of the same groups, TPLF was able to crash the opposition. Ethiopia plunged once again into the tyrannical rule. Years rolled by for a while and the misery of the citizens prolonged. At long last the ruling junta was evicted from power only to trench in Mekele still by the strict instruction of the masters so that they can embark upon their plan B under the guise humanitarian aid: the issue they relentlessly cling to to convince international community. Yet, their efforts to keep the citizens under political and economic subjugation while TPLF was in power unfortunately came to bitter end by the devastating rise of the progressive group under the leadership of Dr.Abiy Ahmed, the man most feared and detested by the West and the United States and the junta itself.
A new beginning to destroy the sovereign state is ushered in. The massacre of the Ethiopian defense forces based in Tigray,which many analysts believe was initiated by the West and the United States, opens the first chapter of trying to reinstate TPLF in power, the only option to continue their control the horn of Africa and the surrounding as a whole.The geopolitical interest is their primary concern, nothing less and nothing more. The very first move of Dr.Abiy Ahmed to bring Africa together in the early days of his ascension to power was what the West and US did not want to happen.
Ethiopia, as a sovereign nation, had to take legal measures to maintain law and order in northern part of her territory possibly with a minimum human loss in the process. Yet, the junta group,in its plight, had inflicted atrocious crime to unarmed civilians in several districts along the way to its hideout.In spite of the stark truth,the international community, spearheaded by the United States in an unjust support of the TPLF, intensified their diplomatic attack and thus are still spreading fake news about the war in north Ethiopia. Their media such as CNN, Aljazeera, Reuter, AFP, BBC and the like, ferociously heightened political attacks even sanction on the Federal Democratic Government of Ethiopia.
Everything they are doing currently is the political arrears or the second phase of their clandestine agenda to bring back TPLF to Arat Kilo palace to continue its duty of pleasing the masters that it had faithfully been doing. It seems as though the United States has the power of control over the personality and will power of some western countries to rally behind her in the war she has waged against Ethiopia. The manipulation is so much that the US has brought the case of Ethiopia to the United Nations Security Council at sundry times in which case she could earn the unanimous support of the member states. She could not succeed as the freedom loving states like China and Russia and others staged strong resistance to her aggressive attempts to destroy the sovereign right of Ethiopia possibly toppling the government of Dr. Abiy and replace it by a stooge.
As of late, the United States, together with her allies, under the pretext of human rights violation in Tigray by Ethiopian government, summoned member states, yet leaving out Ethiopia, to United Nations’ Human Rights sessions. However the thirteen African states, some of which directly opposed and the rest abstained,the sheer indication that they were totally not in favor of the vote. For that matter, Africans now are aware of the fact of determining their fate themselves and are fed up with regency that is mainly concerned only about its own interest than that of the government it craftily claims to assist. Akin to the resolution of the UN Human Rights,Ethiopia had earlier issued statement that she would not accept any decision made.
Every measure the West and the United States are taking to settle the arrears of their primary attempts is unacceptable and Ethiopia has already gained ground in the war and the problem will soon come to an end inevitably.
BY JOSEPH SOBOKA
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD DECEMBER 22/2021
