By Tedla Asfaw
Tedla AsfawFor the 68th UN General Assembly, Ethiopian delegates travel to New York was kept secret. The regime media and its websites kept us in dark maybe as precaution from Al Shabab that massacred innocent civilians in Nairobi Westgate Mall to avenge for the military involvement ofkenya in Somalia.
Terrorism by Al Shabab or state sponsored terrorism like that of Ethiopia should be condemned by all of us. It is a shame and insult to characterize Ethiopian journalists, activist, opposition members and activists as terrorists and throw them for long term jail.
How many lives our “terrorists” took ? Not a singe life. We can not say the same for Woyane. Before the end of the Ethiopian Year of 2005 alone close to hundreds Ethiopian Muslims were gun down by the regime for demanding the government not to involve in their religious affairs.
This month alone the Blue Party/Semayawi supporters and members were beaten up for organizing peaceful march. Today Andinet/UDJmembers and supporters were detained in Addis for calling Addis Ababeans to come out this coming Sunday to protest against the Ethiopian regime “terrorism law” that is used to put government critics behind bar.
Hailemariam Desalegn talk of terrorism at UN stage today is just an empty rhetoric. He is trying like the late Meles Zenawi to bring his regime as a partner/leader to fight extremism and terrorism in the Horn. Al Shabab has given the Ethiopian Regime a New Year Gift, to replay the terrorism card of 2006.
The Western backers of the Ethiopian regime care less for the suffering of the Ethiopian people and will pump money and political support for their ally to fight Al Shabab in the horn.
Halilemarim will send more troops to support Kenya to punish Al Shabab for its massacre of last Saturday in Nairobi. The war drum will be beaten by Woyane, the same time terrorizing the Ethiopian people will continue.
Peaceful march in Ethiopia is now impossible in public squares. Meskel Square rally was denied last Sunday for Blue Party and Andinet/UDJwill have the same fate this Sunday.
We witnessed in Egypt last month how the public squares turned into Deadly Squares by the Egyptian army. The world witnessed how peaceful marches turned into the killing field. All these might have encouraged the Ethiopian regime to do what they are doing now.
Both the regime in Cairo and Addis are talking about fighting “terrorism”. The terrorist in Egypt are Mohamed Morsi the first elected president of Egypt, Muslim Brotherhood members and supporters The terrorists in Ethiopia are journalists, opposition leaders and Muslim religious leaders.
The Egyptians who rallied in millions to overthrow Mubarak are now back to Mubarak’s Egypt without him. Ethiopians are trying to run in millions to change the regime like the Egyptian did in 2011.
If Ethiopians run in millions there is no guarantee that they will change the regime unless there is an armed support for our revolution. The question is where that army that will support our revolution will come from ?
The hope is from within. The dissatisfied Ethiopian army will stand with the Ethiopian people if the popular mass rally continues. We heard poor Ethiopian soldiers calling from Somalia to tell the corruption and the dissatisfaction of the soldiers.
The Woyane Generals are now super rich. The army sooner or later will revolt and join the mass uprising. The Ethiopian hijacked revolution of Feb. 1974 can be repeated. Many of the soldiers now were not even born but should be educated about that experience.
The corrupt generals and TPLF elites can not play the terrorism card forever. Ethiopians know very well who denied them the right to live in dignity for twenty two years. The terror Ethiopians endured is much older than Al Shabab which is only seven years old.
Ethiopians did our part today in New York City and stood with the oppositions back home. The slogan was very clear. We condemned state terrorism in Ethiopia. We demanded all political prisoners to be released immediately.
Those who came out of UN after Hailemariam Desalegne speech around 1pm heard us loud and clear.The struggle for Freedom and justice can not be stopped neither here nor back home.
