Taking Addis will be the end of the beginning of a new era for Ethiopia

An end stage battle involving common people of Finfinne will serve no purpose to improve their lives but only bring more misery and death

The prospect of an end of a year of war in Ethiopia which saw insufferable loss may be upon us yet there will be no time to celebrate. I pray a bloody conflict in vain is avoided. Attempts to turn back time to the Zemene Mesafint solution of the past has failed. Jesus said war will always be with us recognizing the fallibility of man to solve his problems reasonably.

As Winston Churchill said about the Battle of Britain when the Royal Air Force though outnumbered managed to defeat the Luftwaffe by superior tactics it was not the end but the end of the beginning so it is for Ethiopia.

 The Federal government under Abiy Ahmed’s Prosperity Party now on the final step of defeat by Tigray and Oromo forces still has managed to destroy the economy in its last gasp. Means of manufacturing in not only Tigray but also Amhara have been destroyed by carpet bombing, artillery barrage, and intended ransacking. This has resulted in default of repayment of billions of dollars in loans made by Ethiopian banks to build these factories and businesses.

Discussions with knowledgeable sources in Addis Ababa reveals that government coiffeurs are now empty with almost no payment to government employees. The Ethiopian federal government is broke.

The airport for now remains open but thousands are fleeing the country. Inflation will hit 50% up and the birr will hit 50% down in value.  Millions are displaced and without employment. Food stocks and crops are sparse. Hope for the future is fragile at best.

Victory will bring a new challenge for the whole country but will only be the end of the beginning of new era which will take time.  Addis Ababa will be named Finfinne as it should have been all along.  Tigray  more then another region has been devastated and will have to rebuild its infrastructure, health system and economy from scratch. The Oromo region, the most fertile land of Ethiopia,  and her people deserve to finally have their say and I hope they will be heard.  Their concept of gadaa, that is learning from the past about the right use of resources for the community as a whole in consultation with elders, should be respected.

Once again the area we call Ethiopia will have to persevere to find a way to live together in mutual benefit and peace.

Will Abiy Ahmed’s ministers flee to avoid responsibility for the Tigray horrors?

The Ethiopian Federal Cabinet appointed in October 2021 did nothing to protect innocent civilians from death, deprivation, and violation

With Oromo and Tigray forces certainly coming to Addis Ababa (Finfinne) will Ethiopian ministers leave the country? Now almost a year since the Ethiopian and Eritrean invasion of Tigray which had been planned for months prior the world has seen convincing evidence from many sources of unparalleled inhumanity, murder, and deprivation. Yet even though Abiy Ahmed claimed to have a medemer cabinet including many women in “powerful” positions” nary a one of them stood up against the killing and violation of thousands of innocents.

Even though Abiy Ahmed and his Prosperity Party tried to maintain a complete communication black out witness was born by many on the horrors suffered by the Tigray population. Tegaru and Irob refugees to Sudan gave accounts of widespread rape, murder, theft, and destruction. Journalists entered the war regions secretly to record stories and images that alerted the world that Abiy Ahmed’s “law enforcement” operation was really an intentional Tigray genocide. Even officials who were appointed by Abiy Ahmed to be in the Interim Tigray Administration after the temporary fall of Mekelle have now themselves proclaimed against the wrath of Abiy Ahmed the lie that Ethiopia had no evil or even benign intentions.

Severe Ethiopian crackdown on Oromo Irrecha Bishoftu celebration

Security forces have blockaded the highway from Addis Ababa to Bishoftu in fear of protest gatherings forming at Irrecha celebrations

Although an official police statement from Bishoftu says that visitors are welcome to today’s celebration of Irrecha, the Oromo national unity holiday, the truth is far different. Since yesterday the 39 kilometer expressway from Addis Ababa (known as Finfinne to Oromos before the Amhara conquest) to Bishoftu has been mostly blocked off. Many witnesses report that numerous Oromo youth from Addis Ababa and other areas have been arrested by police trying to enter Bishoftu.  Despite the roadblock the editor of Addis Standard in her twitter reports says that many are still choosing to walk the 39 kilometer distance by foot to attend the celebrations at lake Hora Arsedi. Many have been quoted as saying that Abiy Ahmed will not succeed in stopping Oromo protestation to wrongful imprisonment of Oromo leaders and other grievances including extrajudicial killings.

Oromo celebrants of Irrecha at Hora Arsedi in Bishoftu are not deterred by threats from Ethiopian security forces under orders from Abiy Ahmed to stop embarassing protests before instillation of the new government

The Ethiopian Federal government is so fearful that large formations of federal police and soldiers are now deployed in Bishoftu. A complete blackout of telephone, cell, electricity, and internet services has been done. Hospitals and clinics are under strict orders not to report any injuries in Bishoftu just as yesterday doctors and nurses in Addis were rebuked for reporting injuries at Irrecha celebrations in Addis Ababa. Additionally there are now reports that prominent human rights leaders from Addis Ababa including Tesfalem Waldyes, founder of Ethiopia Insight, have been arrested.

The public beating of Tigray mother shows the moral fall of Ethiopia

 

The public beating of a mother and child by police shows Addis Ababa once the shining city of  divergence and enlightenment now has a very dark soul of malevolence and nihilism. 

I cannot get a video posted today from Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia out of my head. Two big Addis Ababa policemen find a small Tigray woman with her child of about 1 and 1/2 years on side walk street vending. Upon hearing her speak Tigrinya they viciously kick her feet out from under her and begin pummeling her head.

One has to understand that no Tigray would be out in the street of Addis Ababa where they are subject to such abuse or even disappearing without a trace in a detainment center where extrajudicial killings have happened according to prosecutors from Addis Ababa.

No doubt she was poor and needed money to feed her child. We don’t know the exact story of why she was there but losing her family to marauding death squads of Ethiopian or Eritrean soldiers, or starvation, or just being isolated because of the communication block could be one or all  contributing to her desperate current plight.

There were many bystanders but not a single one defended her. Instead when they saw someone was filming the senseless brutality of police officers whose job is to protect the vulnerable they blocked the filming. What happened after that we do not know. Unfortunately though it is well known that for some time there has been no safe place for Tegaru in Addis Ababa.

If she goes to the Medhanialem Church near the wealthy social center of Addis in a neighborhood called Bole she would not find refuge now.  Always in the past this Ethiopian Orthodox Church was a sanctuary for all Ethiopians where they could sleep, find water, clothes or other hand outs from fellow Christians. Today the Tegaru rightful head of this ancient denomination is under house arrest while Amhara replacements preach a false Gospel of death rather then life in those sacred abodes which once proclaimed the charity and brotherhood of Jesus Christ  but now are replaced by hate even of a widowed mother and her small child. 

Maybe it is time to return Addis Ababa to its original name Finfinne and to it’s original peaceful owners, the Oromo, who are known for creating Africa’s first democracy, Gadaa,  before they were conquered and enslaved by Amhara expansion.

Addis Ababa narcissism is costing more suffering and loss of life

The narcissist state of denial of Addis Ababa’s leaders and prosperous citizens to recognize the reality of the Ethiopia Tigray conflict is ignorant of history and is only causing more needless suffering. Destiny is bringing change.

Initially outnumbered and outgunned the tiny region of Tigray (Tigray Peoples Liberation Front) captures Addis Ababa in 1991 from the Derg Regime which surprised the world

This week it has been widely reported that Tigray Defense Army has continued to move toward Bahir Dar, Gondar, and most importantly Addis Ababa. Over 50,000 fighters in Afar Militias and Ethiopian National Defense Forces have been killed trying to stop the TDA advance in the past few days.

A graphic from The Subsahara Post dated August 28, 2021 on status of the Tigray forces in Amhara

In discussions with some folks in Addis that are not Tegaru or Oromia they tell me that there exists a prevailing attitude that Addis Ababa is an impenetrable fortress protected by a divinely protected Abiy Ahmed. While there are now millions of displaced persons throughout Ethiopia, millions in a famine state, and war in almost every regional state life in Addis seems little affected they say.  Of course food, fuel, rent, and the price of just about everything else is going through the roof. Oromia and Tigray ethnic groups are often arrested and sent to hidden detention camps.

However, the followers of Abiy Ahmed believe that they cannot be touched. When I asked some of them what they know about the war a frequent answer was they were confident Abiy Ahmed’s army was ready to take back Mekelle any day now. That reports of the the entrance of Tigray deeply into the Amhara region were just propaganda.

Ministry of Health hold Food planning seminar this week focusing on choosing right food groups. No discussion or admission of problem in Tigray shown on the their Facebook page

While this week at a Ministry of Health special seminar on Food Groups devoted to encouraging Ethiopians not to get fat. Millions in Tigray are suffering famine with infants dying at Ayder Comprehensive Specialized Hospital everyday. Where is the concern about these “Ethiopians”?

While millions of people are displaced without food, shelter, or security in Tigray, Amhara, Afar, Somali, and the Southern regions. Well to do residents of Addis are happy that new luxurious beds have been imported for sale in Addis Ababa.

A luxury canopy bed being advertised on Facebook for tens of thousands of birr in Addis Ababa

The wealthy and middle class of Amhara who make up a significant part of the population and the lesser working class of Oromia and other regions make up most of the demographics of the city. Although the area was known as Finfinne (natural spring) by the Oromia who lived there it was colonized by the Amharic king, Menelik II, who ushered in many Amhara settlers to colonize the previously Oromia area. The name was changed  to Addis Ababa meaning new flower just before the beginning of the 20th century. Tension has always existed about the proper name of the city and the inequalities of success of the Amhara and the native Oromo.

Amhara settlers moving into area near Mount Entoto in the 1890s

I remember the Ethiopian New Year celebration 2 years ago when I spent it in Addis Ababa. High tension was seen between Oromo and Amhara young men who marched in the streets carrying their respective national flags foretelling that there would be a future confrontation. 

Oromo protests broke out in October 2019 in Addis Ababa as reported in the Addis Standard

The newly found success of the Oromo Liberation Army now operating within a short distance of Addis Ababa in addition to the Tigray Army march may bring significant change to FinFinne.