(BBC) A joint undercover investigation by BBC Newsnight and the Bureau of Investigative Journalism has uncovered evidence that the Ethiopian government is using billions of dollars of development aid as a tool for political oppression.
Posing as tourists the team of journalists travelled to the southern region of Ethiopia.
There they found villages where whole communities are starving, having allegedly been denied basic food, seed and fertiliser for failing to support Prime Minister Meles Zenawi.
The investigation has also gathered evidence of mass detentions, the widespread use of torture and extra-judicial killings by Ethiopian government forces.
Yet Western donors including Britain – which is the third largest donor to Ethiopia – stand accused of turning a blind eye by continuing to provide aid money despite being warned about the abuses.
The aid in question is long-term development aid, not the emergency aid provided in response to the current drought in Ethiopia and its neighbours in the Horn of Africa.
Government response
Ambassador Abdirashid Dulane, the Deputy Head of Ethiopia’s UK Mission, has rejected the allegations saying that the Newsnight/Bureau report “lacked objectivity, even-handedness”.
“The sole source of the story was opponents of Ethiopia who have been rejected by the electorate, and time and again it has been shown that their allegations are unfounded”.
Our reporters visited one village in southern Ethiopia with a population of about 1,700 adults.
Despite being surrounded by other communities which are well fed and prosperous, this village, which cannot be named for fear of reprisals, is starving. We were told that in the two weeks prior to our team’s arrival five adults and 10 children had died.
Lying on the floor, too exhausted to stand, and flanked by her three-year-old son whose stomach is bloated by malnutrition, one woman described how her family had not eaten for four days.
“We are living day to day on the grace of God,” she said.
Another three-year-old boy lay in his grandmother’s lap, listless and barely moving as he stared into space.
“We are just waiting on the crop, if we have one meal a day we will survive until the harvest, beyond that there is no hope for us,” the grandmother said.
‘Abandoned’
In another village 30 km (19 miles) away it was a similar story.
There our team met Yenee, a widow who along with her seven children is surviving by begging, eating leaves and scavenging scraps from the bins in the nearest town.
“The situation is desperate,” she said. “We have been abandoned… It is a matter of chance if we live or die.”
The two villages sit just 15km (9 miles) either side of a major town, surrounded by other communities where the populations are well fed and healthy. They are in desperate need, but no-one is helping.
According to local opposition members they are being punished for failing to vote for the ruling party, the Ethiopian Peoples’ Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF), which Mr Meles leads.
Further north a group of farmers alienated by Mr Meles’ government met the BBC/Bureau team at a secret location on the edge of a remote village.
One farmer described how he had been ostracised for failing to support EPRDF: “Because of our political views we face great intimidation. We are denied the right to fertiliser and seeds because of political ideology,” he said.
‘Buying support’
The Ethiopian federal and regional governments control the distribution of aid in Ethiopia.
Professor Beyene Petros, the current vice-chairman of the Ethiopian Federal Democratic Forum, an alliance of eight opposition parties known as Medrek, told our reporters that aid is not distributed according to need, but according to support for the EPRDF:
“Almost all of the aid goes through the government channels… in terms of relief food supply and some of the safety net provisions, they simply don’t get to the needy of an equitably basis.
“There is a great deal of political differentiation. People who support the ruling party, the EPRDF, and our members are treated differently. The motivation is buying support, that is how they recruit support, holding the population hostage,” he said.
Mr Beyene said that the international community, including the British government, is well aware of the problem and that he has personally presented them with evidence:
“The position of the donor communities is dismissive… they always want to dismiss it as an isolated incident when we present them with some proof. And we challenge them to go down and check it out for themselves, but they don’t do it.”
Accountability
The UK International Development Minister Stephen O’Brien issued a statement in response to the allegations raised by the investigation, saying:
“We take all allegations of human rights abuses extremely seriously and raise them immediately with the relevant authorities including the Ethiopian Government, with whom we have a candid relationship. Where there is evidence, we take firm and decisive action.
“The British aid programme helps the people of Ethiopia, 30 million of whom live in extreme poverty. We demand full accountability and maximum impact on the ground for support from the British taxpayer.”
The Bureau of Investigative Journalism and Newsnight also gathered evidence of a crackdown and human rights abuses in Ethiopia’s Somali region, the area bordering Somalia and Kenya, also know as the Ogaden region.
Ethnic Somali rebels from the outlawed Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) and Ethiopian government forces have been fighting for control of Ogaden since the 1970s.
The media and most aid agencies are banned from the region.
Ethiopia, one of the poorest countries of the world, is currently suffering from horrific drought.
Many of those fleeing the ensuing humanitarian crisis have headed to Dadaab refugee camp in northern Kenya.
It is the largest refugee camp in the world, and the vast majority of the 400,000 people there are from Somalia, but among them are an increasing number of Ethiopians from the Ogaden.
‘Revenge killings’
Abdifatah Arab Olad, an Ogaden community leader, told our reporters that up to 100 refugees are arriving every month with tales of killings and the burning of villages by government troops.
“Whenever fighting has taken place between the rebels and the army, for each army member that is killed, the military go to the nearest town and they start killing people,” he said. “For each army member killed it equals to 10 civilians losses.”
In the corner of a makeshift shack in the camp, an old woman who had arrived from Ogaden three weeks earlier described being arrested along with 100 others in her village.
She said they were taken to a jail where they were locked up in a shipping container, and picked out on a nightly basis to be tortured:
“They beat me then started to rape me; I screamed and fought with them… I tried to bite them… they tied me this way,” she said, gesturing to her legs.
“They raped me in a room, one of them was standing on my mouth, and one tied my hand, they were taking turns, I fainted during this… I can’t say how many, but they were many in the army,” she said.
‘Assaulted when pregnant’
Other women in the camp also said they had been arrested and accused of being members of the OLNF.
They included one who said that she was eight months pregnant when she was detained and raped by eight soldiers:
“They were beating me while I was being raped, I was bleeding,” she said, describing how one soldier stamped on her stomach and beat her with the stock of his rifle:
“I fell unconscious when I saw my baby… a man jumping on your stomach, you can imagine what happened to the child, very big kicks blows with the back of a gun. As a consequence of that the child died.”
We cannot substantiate these individual allegations. But other credible sources have reported similar stories of the widespread use of rape by Ethiopian security forces against women in the Ogaden.
Speaking on Newsnight, Ethiopia’s Ambassador Abdirashid Dulane said that the claims of rape and torture were a “rehash” of old allegations that the Ethiopian government had answered time and again.
“The Ethiopian government is governed by the rule of law, and human rights and democratic rights are enshrined in the Ethiopian constitution,” he said.
34 thoughts on “Meles using aid as weapon of oppression again (BBC)”
The weyane WENBEDE governmnent’s haterd towrds Ethiopia and her proud people has no boundary.It is to be noted the weyane occuping force take control of Ethiopia through the cooperation of Shabia as well as Ethiopian society.Soon after its arrival in Addis,weyane was officials were groomed by the the Ethiopian civil service employes to take over leadership in various postions.Not long after they received their training weyanits pushed every one aside to become the sole dominating force at the ceter of Ethiopian socity.
Now the question to be loudly tunderd is what is wrong with Ethiopian society?for how long ,how often,can we continue to endure this humilation and slow death by weyanits?What is that the Oromos are afraid of about the Amharas?Is there any evidence that shows the Amharas harber animocity to wards Oromos or some how are desposed of vieing the practice of their language and culture?If so wher is the evidence?I believe the source of such ssumed fear can only originate from weyanes. We need to think and think through the complex problem our country is faced.
Shurely if the 6% weyane is able to run the rest of 84% of the population by creating alliance with unlikely forces for the sole purpose of total controle of Ethiopia,there must arise a similiar desire among Ethiopians to form unified central core to take weyane out. At this very moment the paranoid Weyane is working twenty ofour seven to tighten its grip over the lifes of our socity by signing agrements with countries that do not even have common border with Ethiopia.Let every oppostion political leader answer this question sincerly. who is to be blamed for the current problem and weyane’s influece inspite of weyanes worst human right record.
It is well over due for all Ethiopian political parties to come to the table and negotiate on terms that will lead us to the cration of a unified representative national army.This is anti dot against the policy of total domination of the barbaric Kiletam Tigre that is massacering our people.The importance of such agrement,agreement to establish national army,can not be over emphasized.This will open an opportunity for all Ethiopians to share important strategic corridors;I mean ther will be breathing space from Mokadisho to Moyale ,and across the S.Sudan. Once this consensus is reached,the next step is to creat ,all inclusive,representative transtional government in bsentia.I believe this body will represent the country at internationl gatherings.More importantly,it can demand food aid to Ethiopia to be channalled through the new representative body rather than unelected autocratic shefta.This is not time to sleep wake up every Ethiopian any thing is much better tyhan weyane Neo nazis.Er Gobez Zemita Cheresen.Please please feel the pain of our people and respond timely or else sighnd off convinced your turn will come tomorow.That is the oly alternative at hand be Sway or be Swayed one at atime by weyane bandas.
People from Somalia and Ethiopia going to Kenya? Why do hungry people from ETHIOPIA go to KENYA instead of staying for help inside Ethiopia. Because they know how Meles is cruel and sadistic just talking economics and politics over TV to the innocent, behind the screen, people know how savage and vengeful he is. They know that they are being discriminated by the Tigrian liberator that he has no stomach for anyone who has differing views. He punishes them for being different so they run to Kenya where people more civilized and on higher level than Meles rule. Meles the Tigray Liberator is uncivilized and he is a person of the 18th century who kills, starves and discriminates people who have different eye color than his. How unfortunate for Ethiopia to have such a lowly and uncivilized leader!
It is shame on every Ethiopian to allow this genocide to go on the Ethiopian people. It is shame on the sponsors the UK & US to finance this dictator to commit such a horible attrocities on our people. I am sick to the stomach and speakless …
Can I ask you why??????speaking of Meles using aid to oppress people???? Why? Does he need to oppress people to begin with?
Watch this
God Bless Ethiopia
UNITED NATIONS SAID 20 BILLION DOLLARS WERE STOLEN BY MELES ZENAWI . NOW UK IS SAYING AID MONEY IS MISUSED BUT NOBODY SEEMS TO BE SUEING MELES ZENAWI . WHY ? ONE WONDERS IF HE GOT SOMEKIND OF PROTECTION LIKE A PROFIT SHARING SCHEME WITH THIS WESTERN POLITICIANS .
Have you noticed this statement of Ambassador Abdirashid Dulane? “The sole source of the story was opponents of Ethiopia who have been rejected by the electorate, and time and again it has been shown that their allegations are unfounded”. It is ridiculous. He is tacitly testifying the faireness of the 2010 election which has been denounced by EU mission. It is the exact response Meles would have given. UK has chosen the right person for the job, LOL.
What is going on in Ethiopia, Zimbabwe, Libya and other African countries says a million thing. We just keep observing and be ready.
If all this is true, it is a clear proof that Zenawi is working hard to destroy Ethiopia. Trust me this man has a mission of annihilating the country.
Bekela,
Very well said, the fake Oromos in the name of OPDO that has link with OLF btw, is waiting for the next domination and with TPLF are exaggerating about the Amara domination when in fact the past problem should have been just reformed and yet, the EPRDF the true perpetrators TPLF with fake Oromos are killing Ethiopians. As a non Amaran, I am going to say let Amara yigdelegn, I rather thay dominate me than the ignorant and narrow minded TPLF and OLF/OPDO. OLF and OPDO are sitting idle and watching in fact the demise of South and Oromo region and yet these people have been claiming the Amara domination now they are the ones doing the same along with TPLF. No one to blame but themselves. The past kings allowed every ethnic groups to work based on their interests although under feudalism. This is shameful the evil EPRDF now blatantly collaborating with TPLF the starvation. Shouldn’t this be a very good reason for us to come out and campaign against this injustice? Where is ER, Tamagn, Al Mariam, we now have evidence, let us protest and campaign throughout the diaspora on this theme itself how Aid is used to starve Ethiopia. let us go out as we usual do to protest and ignite this issue and maybe this will be the demise of TPLF and EPRDF!!
LET US GO OUT AND PROTEST AGAINST THIS CRIME!
If the east African famine is mishandled, it will be the biggest disaster since the end of the second world war 66 years ago. Meles Zenawi is again cheating the international community by using aid money for his own political purposes. Meles Zenawi is a well known cheater so the international community should stop helping his regime and also should start discussing with the Ethiopian opposition parties.
The despicable woyane Ambassador in UK has the blood of tens of thousands innocent Ethiopians on his hands. This man doesn’t care even when his own Muslim brothers and sisters tortured and raped. I wonder if he believes in God/Allah and pray five times a day and yet, ignores the human miseries in Ogaden and other parts of Ethiopia in order to collect the blood socked salary he gets paid.
(By the way, I am not interested to hear about this man’s religion from the religious fanatic Assta B. Getu. There are many despicable Christians too who also work for the devil in the name of Jesus and are destroying the world for the love of money).
It is sad to see people are punished by starvation just because they vote for opposition party, It looks like crime against humanity commited by the govt. officials either in local level or at the top leading EPRDF officials. According to the report it is belivable that people in southern ethiopia zone are punished by hunger.
The ethiopian govt. have to act emmidiately, investigate and those responsible for this inhumaine act have to face justice otherwise it doesn’t work just denying the report, this is an acceptable crime, you will loose your credibility.
When it comes ONLF’s drama from dadab camp first hand over ONLF crimnals who are sponsered by anti ethiopian forces like shabia, egypt and other forces are massacered fifty ethiopian and chinese nationals inocent civilians oil workers and we will discuss about the human right violation. For those who don’t know somalis lying is it is their usual day to day part of life.
We don’t deny that everything is perfect in ethiopia but the current ethiopian govt. is doing what ever they can to eradicate poverty from the country. I am standing beside them “one who work can make mistakes”
When it comes so called oppsition politicians forgein media doesn’t get you your dream power, stop hate politics, hand over for young generations and start adapting peacful cooexistence, once you do that you may achieve your power hunger while in nursing home.
Bekela,
You are wrong man. Meles is 0.0000000000000000000000000001% of Ethiopia, but because your biase, prejudice, hatred to Tigreans, you are saying the 6% the whole Tigreans lumped with Meles. You are sick to bundle 6 million people in the black box of Meles. Trust me, people like you are not different from Meles. You may be actually worse because if you get chance you will condemn the whole 6% Tigreans to death.
My hope, Ethiopia will be saved by people who have mind, and heart, not by people like you.
By the way do you know rape is a big time crime I have heard in the past one woman from Amhara region telling her story in Addis Ababa to one of the known political opposition party’s meeting in addition TPLF has done a massive rape in Gonder parts of Ethiopia first they raped the women and killed the men then they took the land so this rape and killing is not a new thing in TPLF and Meles’s history. People please send these links to all people such as news medias and different people on power like congress men and women and state department people as well as other individuals please Elias contact congress man Donald with this explosive link because of this Meles can be given a head ache for weeks even he can lose some aid as a result he might start to use from his stolen money and he might stop also sending money for Doctor Belanesh and Hodam Niguse Woldemariam’s fake Hager Fikir radio as well as Yosef’s fake Andinet Radio so these links can be a big weapon against the Mafia TPLF and its head man Meles Zenawi, so let us send the links we found do not make it hard, it is not really hard.
The official has said UN is welcome to visit. It means to be understood, investigate?
It is nice to see the three Opposition professors( M.W, B.P and M.G) who gave the interview, alive, well, still involved and give their words to the international media. Well, is not the rest follow up as well as coordinating with the diaspora?
For some reason Ethiopian Human Right Council Organization is not available as a link on some of the Ethiopian-diaspora web sites. I think it might have to get more news coverage, or could be forgotten. One possible means for the general Ex-pats. to be involved. I am personaly considering that might be a good way to get involved.
I checked out their web site. It seems pretty serious, but there is much to read to really know in what way they make a difference.
Let us not get left and right with what TPLF says, they have the mission to destroy us. When you know what their mentality is, you will find the solution. But we seem to be surprised when they do horrendous act hard for us to imagine. The root cause of this irresponsible and savage mistreatment of Ethiopians is coming from the deep rooted hate of TPLF towards Ethiopia, to be exact, they take back their venomous animosity towards Amara begining in the era of King Theodrose. Just check what they say in TPLF affiliated websites, radios like AIGA and etc, They try to convince people of Tigray not to care what they are doing because they are scoring the pay back in their behalf, the people of Tigray, for centuries of mistreatment by amara . They are proud hating King Theodrose and Minilik and DERG and the whole amara race. The are happy to inflict as much as damage to the people of Ethiopia, to distroy our confidence, pride, and the will to become self sufficient human beings. They want Ethiopians to be beggars and prostitutes. The are doing that by dividing Ethiopians in Ethnicity and religion. They are twisted bunch of people with centuries old inferiority complex. They want to stay in power until Ethiopia is disintegrated in to pieces. Don’t be surprised with their action, but let us take action. If Eritrea is not in their way it would be hard to imagine what they have done. That is why they want Eritrea down by any means available. But it is our struggle not the Eritreans or Somalias. We can do this. We can Exteminate these spineless cockrouches.
Dear Ato Elias,
You know the shabians. Pls let the shabians stay out of our affaires. Tes is shabia who is talking as if he is amhara. Since you know them, please expose them that is the only way to use this technology based forum for good purpose.
We do not want shabian like Tes who come here with nickname as if they are not kwown. You know how to track each one of us and let them that the forum is not sawa bushe to hide in. Amhara = tigrie are cousins, from the same father and mother. This is a written history. you hate amhara means you hate tigrie and you hate tigrie means you hate amhara.
What are you shabia Tes? change your slave name first? amhara is local, indigenous name, and the same tigrie, what is Eritrea? the name given by Mussoloni? you are trying to tell us Shabia is keeping Ethiopia together? haha, wuy gude,… if shabia had chance and ability, it would not give Ethiopia even one minute to exist on the planet.
TES do you want me to the public where you are? you full name and address? you think internet is barka or karura or Nakfa? We know who you are and where you are at right now. We know your computer and your service provider and can even access all your emails. Those of you who think because you use nickname no one knows you, know that you are hidden and your nickname hides nothing from the any computer savvy.
My last warning to Shabians: if you do not stop your rubbish hatred campaign, I will write your name and address right here . Be warned.
Gezaee, obviously you don’t care to understand the sufferings of Ethiopians under the brutal TPLF regime. To be honest, I do think that you and the likes of you believe that Ethiopians deserve to be treated badly in every aspects of their lives by the ruthless dictator. Let me remind you a little bit what is going in Ethiopia as we speak:
Patriotic Ethiopians don’t see the difference between TPLF and Shabians as you called them. No one has ever done more damage on Ethiopians than your evil master Meles that was trained by Esayas to hate and kill Ethiopians which Meles has executed very well what he was trained for, for the last twenty plus years…Meles with the blessings of his TPLF puppets has given every inch of all Ethiopian ports to his cousin Esayas with additional gift of a billion dollar of Ethiopian money…a dictator that has been giving and selling the most fertile land of Ethiopia to foreign billionaires…selling tens of thousands young Ethiopian Christian girls to be maids and be sex slaves in Arab countries…selling tens of thousands young Ethiopian children around the world for profit…locking up tens of thousands of young Ethiopians in Woyane prisons around Ethiopia…torturing and killing countless number of Ethiopians around the country…gunned down Ethiopians on the streets of Ethiopian cities…the TPLF leader, his wife and their close friends have robbed one of the poorest country in the world and have ended up billionaires and millioners in a country where millions of Ethiopians expected to die of starvation…controlling every department of Ethiopian government and main businesses by one minority ethnic group… the crimes of the malicious coldblooded Meles and his TPLF puppets are endless.
So, Gezaee regardless you call your cousins shabians or Eritreans, for the suffering Ethiopians, Meles and the TPLF gangbanggers have shown to be the worst enemy for Ethiopians for the last twenty years than the other hateful racist ruthless dictator Esyas of Eritrea and the other bloodsucker Mengestu.
O my God, is that what calls itsself the Ethiopian government, defend fighters, ambassador ??? They are all lacking human senses.
meles is a known criminal but the west know that very well but again the west are as criminal if not more criminal as Meles. Meles wouldn’t have been bold enough to commit such atrocious human right abuse without a wink and financial help from his Western masters.
But what is even so unfair and so unrepresentative of the very fact of a land -grab in Ethiopia is the pic above, Meles serving an Arab land owner in Ethiopia while millions of poor Ethiopians are starving. It’s now an open secret that over 900 lush and fertile lands have already been sold to foreigners in Ethiopia so far These Arabs and the Karakuri of India accounts to less than 1% of these land owners in Ethiopia, yet they get most of the criticism and being ridiculed here at Ethiopianreview.com. Despite the fact that most of the land owners in the scramble for Ethiopian fertile land-grab are known to have come from the West including the Old English white farmers that were expelled from Zimbabwe by Mugabe where a few of them have been absorbed & settled in Nigeria while others have crossed over the border to Malawi.
It’s so unfair to criticize the Arabs and Indians while shying away from criticizing the Western modern day colonizers in Ethiopia including the thousands of hectares owned by US’ Star-Bucks.
One needs to be free oneself of its mind then can talk about the freedom of others. Why shy away from calling a spade “a Spade”
I can understand what the implication would be on Elias at the hands of the homeland security in US if Elias had a cartoon depicting a white man instead of an Arab in that pic but you have to also imagine the discrimination of Ethiopians living in Saudi Arabia at the hands of the barbaric Saudi regime who also happens to be a friend of the West and also happens to be the most brutal and barbaric in that region.
comment # 18 very funny go head put my name and address right now i dare you!
The last resort for frustrated TPLF thugs is intimidation. ER editors know it too well. First Tell us where you belong, Dont cry corocodile tears for Ethiopia. I will tell you my name and adress if i wanted to, dont get frustrated with your beliefs, i dont chose for you for being TPLF thug. You are one of the Hodams defending TPLF. It is ER site not AIGA forum. I dont have a problem with Tigray People but with TPLF. If i am Shabia let it be. I am not crazy about Isayas but Right now, if i have to choose from the two i will choose Shabia not TPLF because shabia has nothing to do with mascaring pro democracy protesters, jailing thousands, looting and selling the countries resourses for the highst bidder, creating hate among races, famine…. the list goes on. The damage done by you thugs to Ethiopia is unthinkable, dont consider yourself Ethiopian, Shabia is the lesser evil than you. Fill in the blank my name is ………….
#18 you are realy ,realy paranoid. I know some people , when they hear the name ISAIAS or SHAEBIA they realy get crazy.They are allergic to those names.Are you one of those?
Action speaks louder than words . Tederajto metagel ! Lela AyawaTam !
If we were as courageous as the people of Egypt, Tunisia and Bahreni, Ethiopians would camp out at Meskel Square unitl Meles resigns. But No guts No glory, and suffering will continue…
Fella
I really feel shame about my country,here in US my co-workers Africans are asking me how they can help my people ?oh Lord please remove this evil man and alow our people to fill their stomach and live peacefully.
Ayate Ghezaie,
Are you really Ethiopian,To whom you can lure you poor De De Bi T?Ha ha ha..there are more one million Tigre beside Meles Melata and used his power to get rich over one night.
Yestrady was you a listro but now thanks to Meles you are …Hmmmmmm you wright here Dedeb Weisha.Go to aigaforum or to walta..Banda
Tes,
since you love shabia and you hate TPLF. Since TPLF = Shabia, you are also shabia = TPLF. You have put yourself in the wrong side.
You said 6% Tigreans that refers to the whole Tigray. Anyway, you will not get anywhere by insulting, degrading people, because even those who share your grievances will never work with you because you are degrading, insulting, and robbing the dignity of Ethiopians.
The way forward is to liberate yourself from backwardness then you can liberate other people. From the way I read you, you will never be an agent of change in Ethiopia. If you get chance, you will be worse than mengistu and Meles. Reason: you are filled with hate and hate does not progress people any step further. You are stuck in your own ruse. Whether you like it or not, whether TPLF go or live, the people of Tigray will live forever and they will fight until the end of the world for their existence. People like you have tried it before and make Tigreans as an endangered species in Ethiopia. But you know that they have managed to help themselves so far. The number you mentioned, 6% does not matter. What matters is the courage and determination of the people. South Sudanese did not win because they are more than North Sudan. They won because they fought for it. Damn, you are telling people they are not Ethiiopian? who gave you the right to give and take Ethiopian citizenship? If people have to follow your attitude, Ethiopians will set Ethiopia on fire and destroyed it forever and no one will live in it.
Let me tell you that it is people like you who brought us TPLF, Shabia, onlf, olf,…. all these organisation did not come out of the blue for no reason. No matter how we hate them, they have been driven to where they are because of narrow people like you. TPLF, ONLF, SHABIA, OLF,… all these came to exist because of people like you who take and give Ethiopian citizenship. Thanks God, people can at least talk their language now. We know how we lived; we were not even allowed to speak our langauge. This is not fiction. Every Ethiopian knows what was the name of oromo today? Oromos were called Gala. Gurage kuli, the majority of Ethiopians were called Baria, shankla, and Tigreans were called yewef kanqua tenagarichoch, and even bombed from the time of Haileslassie upto the time of derg. Where were you my friend?
I have never supported TPLF personally, but you are now pushing me to do that? I will not oppose TPLF because of your extremely biased, prejudiced hatred towards Tigrean? I can only join you if you stop your backward attitude and respect humman being the way you wanted to be treated.
Do you know what, I curse TPLF for giving you more opportunity to people like you. If I were TPLF, I would do what the majority of Ethiopians are demanding and I would have deprived people like you to breathe the oxgen of hatred.
This is not to defend TPLF. But people like TES are a proof for me Ethiopia has along way to go to be a country of freedom. Imagine, people like TES getting to power? how many insults, intimidation I am receiving here with no reason. Accused of being TPLF just based on biase, prejudice and hatred. The type of hate campaign will push Tigreans to Meles. And this is actually what happened in 2005. I myself and many Tigreans supported kinjit but people like you who are narrow started terrorizing Tigreans and you know what happened? Tigreans said, aha, if thiis what is going to happen, let us support Meles. Because of your action, Meles got a big beef up. Most of you are soccer players who play soccer against your own goals. Although I am far away from TPLF, now you making me to think where I am? because your attitude does not bring people together. TPLF has even give you the opportunity to take over addis Ababa the capital city, but you refused to share power because you wanted the entire office. But you still keep on blaming the unfortunate TPLF even if when you lose it yourself. I think it is better to stay from these type of forums.
I am resigning from Ethiopian forum forever. You will never see me again here or anywhere. Ethiopia is not poor for no good reason. Ethiopians are backward, never respect people. Everything they do is self-destructive. It is not only TPLF. Ethiopians have developed a very degrading culture and this the reason that we have olf, onlf, tplf,eplf,… these people are out there to be recognized. They are not just evil people. They are not; they were driven out by people like TES. These are they of Hilter who are filled with hate against people. TES, you have managed now to chase from here. I will never again go an Ethiopian forum. Finish. I have lived a great deal on this planet. I lived with Europeans,Chinese, Indians, Arabs, Japanese, iranis, Israelites, Afgans,Somalis,… I have never seen people like Ethiopians. May be Ethiopia had good people long ago, but not now. And this is the main reason the country is the most backward and primitive nation on earth. It is not the country; it is the people who are backward and primitive. It is not just Meles. Everyone is beggar. I have seen Ethiopians who sell their wives and their girl friends. They are not Meles. I can agree with many points on TPLF but blaming one man for all the problems in the country is just not true. Meles himself is a victim people like TEs. Meles would not have lived in the caves for 17 years and he would not have dropped from school if there was fairness in Ethiopia.
If your praise Shabia, something is wrong with you. Shabia created TPLF not for Ethiopia, but for its own objectives and now you tell us you are in love with shabia. you really need to see your doctor because you are confused and you do not even know who to oppose. I do not even believe you know politics. Politicians know even how to push their agenda. you are against yourself. This is shared by the majority of Ethiopians including TPLF. TPLF pushes people away and you are doing the same. It does not really matter whether you opposing TPLF, because you sound even worse than TPLF.
Anyway, I advise you to take care yourself, before talking about Ethiopia. You do not have to seem you have the substances to talk on behalf any Ethiopian. Rest assured you have succeeded now to make me rethink about my position. May be it is better to negoiate with TPLF than to try to forge alliance with people like you. I cannot take this. I cannot live with people like with you. You are very abusive. I cannot believe people like you can bring change in Ethiiopia. If they manage they will bring more misfortune.
Take care and good bye. If you can stop abusing people in the forum. Please have your ER forum and enjoy.
Number 29. ezaee H. What do you mean when you said the next “People like you have tried it before and make Tigreans as an endangered species in Ethiopia.” It is amazing you think you are endangered species what kind of perception did you created in your little mind friend you are not endangered species when you are flocking all the government offices through out Ethiopia and outside of Ethiopia actually you are too many more than your share. For the rest of us it seems you are the only people who live in that country as a result for the rest of the people it seems it does not even exist enough air to breathe it looks like you have taken most of the air from the land. As a result not only a shortage of food it seems there is a shortage of air also in Ethiopia for the last 20 years. So you have to have a birth control to reduce your population the reason you people cause all the problem in Ethiopia today is because of your desire to get unfair benefit as we saw it for the last 20 years you have benefited and used other Ethiopians share. Why you people and your beloved and smart leader Meles are cry babies. If you think you are threatened and if you are becoming endangered species from the Ethiopians why don’t go just like Eritrea using your article 39 do not delay do it now please. By the way the name Oromo was not given by your Mafia TPLF rather it was by your predecessor Derg Mengistus’ administration I know it is your nature and it is in your bloody blood to snatch or take credit if it seems nice to your little mind’s perception.
Number 29. ezaee H. What do you mean when you said the next “People like you have tried it before and make Tigreans as an endangered species in Ethiopia.” It is amazing you think you are endangered species what kind of perception did you created in your little mind about yourself did you think or felt about yourself as a golden Tigrean just like toy man Meles Zenawi your leader you are not endangered species when you are flocking all the government offices through out Ethiopia and outside of Ethiopia actually you are too many people you have populated more than your share. For the rest of us it seems you are the only people who live in that country thanks to you our country looks like a coffin to the rest of us. As a result for the rest of the people it seems it does not even exist enough air to breathe. It looks like you have taken most of the air from the land. As a result not only a shortage of food it seems there is a shortage of air also in Ethiopia for the last 20 years. So you have to have a birth control to reduce or balance your population the reason you people cause all the problem in Ethiopia today is because of your desire to get unfair benefit than the rest of us as we saw it for the last 20 years you have benefited and used other Ethiopians share. Why you people and your beloved and smart leader Meles are cry babies. If you think you are threatened and if you are becoming endangered species by Ethiopians why don’t go just like Eritrea did thanks to you. Go please use your article 39 do not delay do it today please. By the way the name Oromo was not given by your Mafia TPLF rather it was by your predecessor Derg Mengistus’ administration I know it is your nature and it is in your bloody blood to snatch or take credit if it seems nice to your little mind’s perception.
hey, gezino nebsi,
we, the prodemocrats at er need u. pls, don’t be like the song ‘go jack hit the rd & never come back’. we’re basically lovers not haters, u know. may i refer u 4 further consultations 2 the good office attorney @ law, prof, Al, the advocates of human right, freedom & justice to clear it out the oustanding issues.
having said that, for me the sister that was raped (above video) and consconsquencly lost her unborn baby is also my dear cousin so do the countless victim of oppressions and gencides no matter their clolors/beliefs.
Meles chira keresh… Ethiopian economy is going one step forward and three steps backward. §He is the worst leader in Africa.
#27 Yigermal,
What is going on in Ethiopia under dictator Meles is maddening, heartbreaking and saddening. But there is nothing to be ashamed of. You are not the one who is causing the distractions, bloodshed, looting, murder, propaganda, lies, money-laundering, selling Ethiopia’s land, starvation and other criminal activities Meles and TPLF are responsible for. When somebody is interested to know about the horrible conditions in Ethiopia–hold your head up and take the opportunity to tell people about the political situations and who is responsible for the human miseries in Ethiopia. Also don’t forget to mention how their hard earned tax money helping the woyane dictator and his puppets getting filthy rich while they are struggling to pay their utility bills and filling their gas tanks. When opportunity knocks, open the door and let them in.