The world always remembers the worst and shocking atrocities committed by Adolph Hitler, the most notorious dictator of the 20th century.
Even though several decades lapsed, the global community, especially European Jews, always remember the suffering and extermination of their fellow ones with much pain and grief. Thanks to those individuals who used to keep their daily experience through their diary, the world has learned the meanness and the cruelty level of Nazi and its leader.
In fact, keeping a diary is not a gift to all. This is especially true in those hard times where survival is in question. When the little Anne Frank recorded the daily agonizing and extremely painful experiences of her and her families between the years 1942-1944, the situation was not suitable to write her feelings. However, the passion and the courage within her have enabled Anne to leave first-hand information to global community about the incident; which is even hard to imagine.
Bayuwa Sisay, a 53 year old woman, is residing in Raya Kobo District, in Kobo Town North Wollo Zone of Amhara State. Unlike other women who are found in her age, Bayuwa has a special gift of recording daily activities in a diary.
Whenever she witnesses something odd or exciting, penning down the incidents in her notebook is a well-established trend of Bayuwa. And the following story is taken from one of her diaries in which the writer recorded the horrific crimes committed by the insurgents of the TPLF faction.
When Raya Kobo (one of the places in the Northern part of the country) was captured by TPLF forces, Bayuwa was among those people who experienced sufferings in the hands of those bandits.
Before Raya Kobo fell in the hands of the TPLF forces, Bayuwa was serving at Kobo Town Agriculture Bureau, as agricultural expert. Like the rest of the country, in earlier times the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic and then after the occurrences of desert locust in the area had challenged the agricultural activities of dwellers. Worse than this, the forceful invasion of the TPLF group had disturbed her a lot.
Using the passion together with her profession, Bayuwa was able to organize the community to control both the pandemic and the locust. However, it was at this moment the TPLF bandits controlled the area and forced Bayuwa to leave her village with her youngest child. However, when she was on her way to another village, TPLF forces took control of it as well. For this reason, Bayuwa was looking for another safe place. Unfortunately, other places were also converted into battle field and TPLF forces were burning houses and raping women. Finally, she decided to flee into the Afar State in a place called Werecheko. Her flee to Afar State was not simple to Bayuwa and her daughter. Due to the absence of transportation, she was forced to travel barefoot for about 12 days. What is more, after they arrived in Afar State, Bayuwa heard terrorist forces have controlled Afar too, where she temporarily got refugee.
The advent of TPLF with its immoral insurgents into Afar region did not give her comfort. For this reason, Bayuwa fled back to Kobo with her child. During her stay at Kobo she has learnt that almost all forms of crimes and atrocities were committed by TPLF forces.
In her diary, Bayuwa has recorded some of the incidents she has witnessed with her own eyes. She penned down TPLF`s meanness, rudeness and callousness. This is especially true for July 11, 2021, when the terrorist TPLF massacred innocent youths ruthlessly.
Like other days, in those two days, the TPLF forces had been trying to get acceptance from the people. They were distributing water by truck during the day. However, when the sun sets and darkness controls the surrounding, they will start their monstrous activities. They plunder villages, rape women and kill innocent civilians. TPLF forces have double faces. In the daytime, they act as if they are good mannered and considerate. When the night comes, their true identity will manifest. They will do all forms of evils that mankind will not dare to do.
“I have witnessed TPLF forces killing 52 youths in a single village. I have also seen them killing my daughter in my own naked eyes.”
As to her, on July 11 and 12, 2021, insurgents of the rebel group killed several youths in Kobo Town. The villagers in Ewket Chora have buried 52 youth in a single day. According to her diary, there were also dead bodies of youths left on the ground because the TPLF forces did not allow us the villagers to bury them. There were families who were forced to bury five members of their family.
For Bayuwa, the two days were one of the darkest days in her life. According to her, it was a day she witnessed the killings of innocent youths, farmers and labourers. It was also a day where she lost her beloved daughter, Hayat.
Hayat was everything to her mother Bayuwa. That was why she attempted to hide her in a safe place for about six months. Once, when the news that signalled the advent of the Ethiopian National Defence Forces in the town circulated among the villagers, Hayat could not control her excitement. For that reason she appeared freely to express her feelings.
However, things did not go smoothly. TPLF bandits started firing at the mass. Hayat, who was passionate and excited by the victory of ENDFs, was shot dead in front of her mom.
“There would not be any painful moment other than seeing your loved one was shot and killed in front of you. I never expected to lose my daughter in the blink of an eye.
I lost my child whom I sacrificed a lot to hide her for six months. Hayat was the daughter of a single mother. I cannot utter more about her [weeping]. Because of her, I cannot express the aching I feel inside. After her death, life has become unbearable for me. I had to visit psychiatrist in Addis Ababa to get treatment. I have lost my courage to live,” she said with a sad tone of voice.
BY LEULSEGED WORKU
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD SUNDAY EDITION 29 MAY 2022
