More details emerging about ethnic Amhara Generals led public meeting in Addis

 

On Friday, the Ethiopian Defense Force shared a brief update on its social media page about the meeting that the Deputy Chief of Staff, Abebaw Tadesse,  Defense Operations Manager, General  General Belay Seyoum, and Federal Police Deputy Commissioner, Zelalem Mengiste had with selected ethnic Amhara “representatives” in Addis Ababa, at Adwa Museum to be specific. 

While it was reported that the meeting was about the ongoing conflict in the Amhara region of Ethiopia, questions raised during the meeting and  how participants were selected – among other issues -were not highlighted in the report. 

A BBC Amharic report published on Friday indicates that it was the Addis Ababa Mayor’s office that initiated the meeting which took place at Adwa Museum.

The two deputies ( from the Defense Force and Federal Police) and Head of the operations in the Defense were made to lead the meeting  because they happen to be ethnic Amhara, according to sources. 

It was an all day long meeting ; it started around 9 a.m. in the morning and concluded in late evening.  

The closed meeting and Participants 

The meeting was a closed one, according to sources. The participants were not reportedly allowed to carry on their cellular phones to the meeting. 

According to BBC Amharic, intellectuals,  businessmen, religious leaders, elders and Youth were made to attend the meeting.  Over 200 participants who were believed to have the ability to influence “change” in the Amhara region of Ethiopia were selected. But it is still unclear on the selection process and as to who was behind the selection.

What was discussed at the meeting? 

The topic of discussion was the situation in the Amhara region and the Fano resistance to the Defense force, according to sources, 

“Because the demands [of Amhara people] were not addressed and people in the region faced existential threat, people are now in the movement to reverse the existential threat. You need to understand it at that level,” that was among the remarks from participants,  based on a BBC Amharic report. 

The killings of civilians in the Amhara region of Ethiopia was among the topics raised by the participants.  They told the generals that the defense force often resorted to the killings of civilians in vengeance in the Amhara region whenever Fano forces attacked them.  “We see it and we have evidence. Do you follow [the story] it?” was one the questions posed to the deputy Defense Chief  of Staff and Deputy Federal Police Commission.  The generals addressed it as a sort of “exaggeration of youtubers and social media talk.”

The Deputy Defense chief added “our training, our mission and our deployment does not allow that.”  The action of the defense force- including the entire military operation – was portrayed as a “constitutional mission of the Defense Force.”  Reputable local and international Human Rights organizations have been reporting about extrajudicial killings and drone attacks against civilians. 

Arbitrary arrest of ethnic Amhara, harassment and house search without a court  ( in the capital Addis Ababa) were also raised as questions during the meeting.  

The response for all the demands from the deputies (of the defense force and Federal police) was “the questions you raised will be presented to Federal and regional governments.