Ethiopia on the right path

By Yilma Bekele

In a matter of weeks the progressive forces have achieved a lot in the pursuit of freedom in Ethiopia. So many individuals, Political Organization, Civic associations, religious leaders worked so hard and for so long to teach, raise conciseness and ultimately empower our people to demand freedom and democracy and to say no to tyranny. The little victories achieved came due to the works of all patriotic Ethiopians that have managed to give life, family, time, money and expertise to this noble fight.

All Ethiopians should feel proud of the accomplishments our people have managed to snatch out of Woyanes jaw. The protest by our Oromo family is a welcome addition to our arsenal of weapons against the mafia regime. We should all be proud of what is being achieved by the young educated Ethiopians in the Oromia Region and their fellow citizens that stood with them. Our young people engaged the ruthless regime gallantly and forced the TPLF to buckle down and announce the halting of the ‘land grab project’ for a time being some claim. One small achievement was paid by the life of our children.

It is only a few months back when Patriotic Ginbot7 Chairman was invited to speak in a EU organized hearing. Some Woyane financed and controlled fake media like EBC, Awramba Times, Horn Affairs and a collection of bloggers were out in force sneering and belittling the whole effort. The EU today passed a very over reaching resolution calling on the mafia regime to respect Human Rights and answer to the murder of our young students and their family. This is one small victory we have achieved today.

It is not long ago when Woyane was striking at each one of us separately and scoring victories and warning the others not to try anything. The ‘master Plan’ of naked land grab right under our nose changed the equation. We all felt the cry of our Oromo family and did not just sit back and watch like we have done before. That is what is different today. This time around we all felt the pain. We stood together as Ethiopians. I call this a big victory against the Kilil mentality the TPLF regime has cultivated for a long time. We have smashed another fake wall Woyane built to keep us apart. I put this as another victory against ethnic based philosophy.

The regime is trying to calm its supporters by pretending the “Oromo Uprising” has been squashed. The current theme by all their media is to show all is back to normal and EPDRF is healthy. There is never mention of TPLF the ringmaster. They are using every media to deny the tense and volatile situation in the country. Face book reaches such a minuscule number and even that they have an army of bloggers, paid cadres dedicated to inundating social media with posts and comments. ESAT and OMN are taking the truth to peoples homes. TPLF is spending millions trying to block ESAT and OMN and our smart Media Heads have checkmated Woyane and won. The Mafia regime today is using good old violence to tackle the problem. The TPLF regime is sending troops to remove dishes from roofs.

The Oromo demand for true freedom and equality is continuing unabated in all parts of the country. Road closings are making an impact. The Universities are closed and plenty of the young people have been taken away emptying towns and villages. Commerce is suffering. The people are also sharpening their methods of confronting the TPLF mafia including viewing TPLF/EFFORT owned and run businesses as fair targets. Selam Bus is fast coming in the crosshairs of our militants as recently seen in Nekempt. I record this as a qualitative increment of people power.

Targeting the regimes economic interest is not something new. All liberation movements practiced such actions and are considered a matter of self-defense. What is becoming obvious in Ethiopia is that the struggle is entering a new phase. The South Africans invented what was called ‘Necklacing’ where Apartheid agents when caught had tire forced down their shoulder filled with petrol and set on fire. They called it people’s justice.

Where are we at now? Is it true the question has been laid to rest and all is well in Woyane land? Is the attempt by the mafia regime to pretend the issue is behind us a correct interpretation of reality? Not so fast Dear Woyane is what the progressive forces are saying. The situation as reported both by ESAT and OMN paint a different picture. Oromia is under Military rule and the people have not stopped demanding justice. How could they go back quietly after their children have been killed, their learning institutions being destroyed and their loved ones taken to prison without being charged?

We got news for you Abay Tsehaye and the little gang around him - we are not done yet. In fact we have not even began to fight. We have a few questions we want answered.
1) Who ordered armed troops into our towns and villages?
2) Who gave the order to shoot to kill? 

3) By what authority does Abay Tsehaye give order to OPDO officials?
4) When is an independent commission going to be established to answer people’s questions and hold individuals that killed our children accountable?

5) Demand that the regime cooperate with the European Union without conditions.

It is time Ethiopian families stop losing their loved ones to violence by the regime. It is time that self-serving and mentally deranged individuals like Abay Tsehaye that are answerable to no one are removed from the position of power and authority. The Ethiopian people are not going back to the good old ways of turning our head and pretending not to notice. This uprising knocked down the invisible wall. Things are a lot clearer today than yesterday.

I look at the bright side of our situation. Yes we still have plenty of problems but I would rather celebrate the victories and build on that. The quest for liberation is a long struggle. Today we are on the offensive. The trick is to stay on message and push forward. The enemy is weak with hard work we are able to break one of the chains that were holding us back. The enemy is concerned. The enemy is weakened but still standing. On the other hand our power has been enhanced considerably. We have become versatile. We are able to engage the enemy on many fronts.

There are still a few weak links in our collective struggle. One is the ever-present Kilil mentality that some are finding hard to escape from. It is empowering to see the letter to the Mafia regime signed by notable children of Tigrai. It is in the tradition of our forefathers to speak out when national interest is on the table. They fulfilled the promise. They told Woyane “Not in my Name!” It is another wall being broken. It would be good to see if more join the demand for national Salvation and usher a new day into our ancient land. Procrastinations and splitting hair syndrome only helps the mafia regime.

No matter we are addicted to little victories and we are going to milk that no matter what. It is a winning strategy and we ride this wave all the way. Liberation play requires audience participation. What is needed here is active actors to ensure quality product made with cutting edge formula. If you agree on the virtues of ‘little victories’ it is fair to assume you all are going to help with the Boycott of Woyane and its affiliates even when no one is looking. Admit it you ‘Love’ Ethiopia, then show it. Stay the course, we are breaking Woyane’s back.