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Ethiopia: Atrocities continues unchecked

by Mesfin Mekonen
Washington update

  1. Atrocities continue unchecked
The situation in Ethiopia is worsening. In Wollega Province, the Oromo Liberation Army, in cooperation with government officials, have continued to kill innocent Amharas. The government of Abiy Ahmed Ali has failed to protect innocent Amhara civilians.
Ethiopian-Americans have contacted the Human Rights office of the United Nations in New York and Geneva to report the atrocities and genocide and to request that the UN conduct an independent investigation of the massacre of the innocent Amhara civilians in Wollega..
Ethiopian-Americans demonstrated in front of the White House last week to denounce the Abiy government’s failure to maintain the rule of law and protect the lives of Ethiopians. The guest speaker was Eskinder Nega, Human Rights activist and president of Balderas for True Democracy in Ethiopia. The Abiy government has not made any attempts to hold those responsible for the massacres of Amhara people accountable, nor has it acted against the OLF/Shenne group which has committed atrocities and destroyed property in Wollega province.
In Afar region, the TPLF has committed atrocities with impunity, including killing innocent civilians and destroying hospitals, schools, mosques, and churches.
The Ethiopian-Americans Community has asked the UN Security Council to send UN Peacekeepers to Wollega, warning that international action is needed to prevent a genocide that could resemble the Rwandan genocide of 1994.
  1. Letter to UN
In a letter to the UN Secretary-General, Mesfin Mekonen, expressed the concerns of Ethiopian-Americans, the Ethiopian diaspora and friends of Ethiopia residing in the U.S. and throughout the world, about the ongoing civil war in their country and the possibility of even greater loss of life. The letter noted the Abiy government’s abdication of responsibility for massacres of the Amhara people, its failure to act against the OLF/Shenne terrorists, or to prevent the TPLF from committing atrocities.
The current tragedies in Oromia, Tigray, and throughout Ethiopia point to the urgent need for political change. The innocents who have been slaughtered cannot be brought back to life, but it is possible to act to prevent an even larger-scale catastrophe. The international community must support creating a transitional government that includes members of the peaceful opposition and civic and religious leaders. The transitional government must preside over the revision of the constitution, the formation of a new military representing the 13 provinces and regions of Ethiopia, and the formation of a committee for peace and reconciliation. All of these steps must be directed toward the goal of holding new free and fair elections in Ethiopia within a year.
  1. Ethiopia Peace and Stabilization Act
The deterioration in security, threats to human rights, and the potential for a large-scale catastrophe, have raised concerns in the U.S. Congress. On March 29, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee unanimously passed the Ethiopia Peace and Stabilization Act. The bill was originally drafted in response to the war in Tigray, but it is relevant to the widening crisis. “The conflict in Ethiopia has shifted since we first introduced this important bill, but the core issues remain the same. This bill provides the tools to hold all parties to this conflict accountable for the many atrocities committed and a deadly humanitarian crisis. This legislation also focuses on the role of disinformation and foreign actors in this war, which have increased its lethality and persistence,” the ranking Republican on the committee, Sen. Jim Risch (R-Idaho), said.
The committee chairman, Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), said that in passing the bill “we not only shine a light on the extra-judicial killings, mass sexual and gender-based violence, forced displacement, and civilian humanitarian aid blockades as being used as weapons of this war, but we also take a big step to end these atrocities by setting up a policy framework that calls for a determination by the Secretary of State related to war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide, a critical element in holding perpetrators accountable. With the ongoing diplomatic work and dynamic situation on the ground in Ethiopia, I’m proud to see the U.S. Senate act to provide maximum leverage to our diplomats to hold the parties’ feet to the fire on engaging in good faith negotiations leading to a sustainable peace.”
Mesfin Mekonen

12 thoughts on “Ethiopia: Atrocities continues unchecked”

  1. Hi!

    If Ethiopia belongs to ALL of us, why leave ALL the problems to Abiy to solve? At least Abiy kept Ethiopia afloat despite this: https://youtu.be/Pg3WuF1eXww?t=5

    By the way, why do ‘Americans’ like you think that they are more Ethiopian than Abiy and care more about Amharas than Abiy? Had intellectuals like you really cared an iota about Amharas or Ethiopia, you would have gone back home and taught in your field!

    እርሶ እኮ – እነዝያ – የሸምሱ እና የነስሩ ሱቅ – ፊት ለፊት እየተኮለኮሉ – ትምህርት ቤት አናስኬድ፣ ስራ አናሰራ፣ ወዘተ – የሚሉት – ቦዘኔዎች ዓይነት ሆኑብኝ! ለመርዶ ነጋሪ እማ – ዕድር አለ አይደል እንዴ? የነጋድራስ እስክንድርን ጋዜጣ መግዛት ፣ የነጋድራስ ቴዲን ዘፈን መግዛት ፣ እና የእርሶን የ’Washington Update’ PhD ‘thesis’ ማንበብ ምን አስፈለገኝ? መፍትኼዎ ምንድነው? የት አለ?

    እርሶ – በአብይ ቦታ ቢሆኑ ኖሮ – ምን ያደርጉ ነበር? በቂ ወታደር የሎት! የአስተዳደሩም – የወታደሩም – አውታር በሙሉ ተይዞ የነበረው በወያኔ ነው! እነሱን አፅድቶ – ሌላ – ኢትዮጵያን የሚያገለግል መመሥረት:-
    ወሬ ፈልስፎ – ጋዜጣ አትሞ እንደመሸጥ፣ pot አጭሶ – ሬጌ ዘፍኖ እንደመሸጥ፣ ወይንም ደግሞ እንደርሶ – የነሸጦት ቀን – የ’Washington Update’ን ሞጫጭሮ – ለዘሃበሻ fax እንደማረግ – ቀላል አይመስለኝም! አብይ እኮ ከፈለገ – እንደ እርሶ – አሜሪካ አንደላቅቆ የምያኖረው ገንዘብ አለው!

    Amharas begging the White Supremacist West [WSW] and its institutions like the UN for justice is like Jews asking Nazis for favors. The Amhara massacre by TPLF-OLF-IFLO started in the 1990s: Bedeno, Arba-Gugu, etc. Back then, the WSW & its global institutions turned a blind eye to that massacre, too. So, Dr. Asrat Wodeyes [Harar-born] pleaded with them like this: “Your satellites can even pick up a needle from space. How come they ‘failed’ to see the pile of Amhara corpses?” Well, that was ≈ 30 years ago!

    i_Mognu / don_Q

  2. I am Amhara from wollo I want to live, I want the Amhara genocide to stop immediately, I don’t care about your political discourse, I don’t care about your lecture, I don’t care about the Ethiopian unit or history!!! I just want to live. This incapable pm is in charge he has to stop that or resign, I don’t care about you blhaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa , i just want to live like any other human being, do you think this is too much to ask?????!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  3. I remember when tplf invade Wollo, it was harsh, humiliating, and barbaric, Abiy military left the people and run for their life that was sad!!! As a responsible government rather than running to Addis, he could seat and negation with tplf than let more than 15 million Amhara and afar people be suffered, raped murdered, displace and face huge property loss, it is a matter of time history will tell this how much PP failed the country

  4. Well, the author has put a very reasonable point of view in the article, and we should all be very grateful. i_Mognu, what are you trying to say with your disjointed very sensible sounding complete nonsense? You take something from here, something from there and so forth – and then put them all together, and voila, you are happy, happy, happy, you have checkmated him, wow! I hate to speculate on your level of intelligence.

  5. One of the factors which have contributed to the mass killings and displacements of the Amhara communities in Wollega is also the presence of communities from Tigray who were also resettled there following the famine of 1977.
    The Oromo militants in the region are not the only culprits in the crime. I talked to some Oromos there who told me the youth of these communities from Tigray are organized as Oromo militants (OLA) and youth and carry out the mass killings. They have inspected some dead bodies killed by the government security operations and identified as the young from these Tigray communities. Based on these indications, it is not right and fair to put the whole blame on the Oromo militants.

  6. Ato Mekonen,

    I wrote in clear Grade 6 English & plain Addis Ababa Amharic! Which part of what I wrote is rocket science to you? Just point it out and I will be delighted to clarify anything that challenged you. BTW, so much for mentioning ‘intelligence’ in your sentence!

    Since when does the White Supremacist West care about black lives? Would you cut the Balderas [CIA(!?)] crap and think of saving lives! Here are some Ethiopians whose lives are on the line as we speak:

    1. https://youtu.be/WSdYyYqsljw
    2. https://youtu.be/Pg3WuF1eXww?t=5

    Have a great day!

    i_Mognu / don_Q

  7. selam@ambasele,

    1). ከTPLF ጋር ድርድር ስላሉት:-

    i). What does Ethiopia get from negotiation with TPLF? Are the TPLF leaders who staged the ENDF’s Northern Command massacre willing to surrender peacefully to stand trial in Ethiopia for mass murder? ወያኔ – እንደተኙ ያረዳቸው – ለ21 ዓመታት ትግራይን ያገለገሉ – የኢትዮጵያ ሠራዊት አባላት ደም ይጮሃል! Murder is Crime! NO free pass!!!

    ii). Will TPLF reimburse what it stole from the federal government and the 5.3 billion Birr [4 bil. old & 1.3 bil. new notes] taken from the two planes at the Mekelle Airport? Will it reimburse the millions it looted from CBE in Tigray, Amhara, and Afar? Will it pay for the destruction it caused in Amhara & Afar?

    2). አብይ ሥልጣን ይልቀቅ ስላሉት: –

    i). አብይን ማን ይተካው? እንዴት ተደርጎ ይተካ? በምርጫ ነው ያለምርጫ? የአብይ ፓርቲ – ለ5 አመት mandate – በኢትዮጵያ ሕዝብ ተመርጦ የለም ወይ? የኢትዮጵያ ሕዝብ ድምፅ መከበር የለበትም ወይ? ያለምርጫ – ባቋራጭ ሥልጣን ለመያዝ – ያሰፈሰፉ ስላሉ – “ግርግር – ለሌባ ይመቻል!” – እውን – እንዳይሆን ብዬ ነው!

    ii). በነገራችን ላይ – ምዕራባውያን ኬንያ ውስጥ – 9 የአብይ ተቃዋሚ ፓርቲዎችን አዋቅረው – ለኢትዮጵያ የመሰረቱላትም መንግስት – የአብይን መንግስት መውደቅ በተጠንቀቅ እየተጠባበቀ ነው! ምዕራባውያን – እኮ – ወያኔ እና ኦነግ ሸኔ – በወለጋ እና በማይካድራ – አማራን በጨፈጨፉ – ኢትዮጵያ ላይ ማዕቀብ የጣለ – የአረመኔ ጥርቅም ነው! ለመሆኑ – ምዕራባውያን ከመቼ ወዲህ ነው – ለጥቁር ተቆርቋሪ የሆኑት?

    Have a great day!

    i_Mognu / don_Q

  8. i_Mognu,

    How much are you being paid to make a laughable defense for A. Ahmed?

    You say: ” If Ethiopia belongs to ALL of us, why leave ALL the problems to Abiy to solve?”. Buddy! Abiy is the PRIME MINISTER (PM) of the country. Read the constitution which describes the PM’s job to know that preserving peace and security of the country from coast to coast is one his primary duties. He has failed to discharge his primary duty of preserving peace and security. Since atrocities have been and still are being committed under his watch, Abiy cannot raise what the “people did or did not do” as a defense. The people cannot replace the PM and vice versa. That’s why they “made” him a PM. I put “made” in quote because I don’t believe the people elected him PM of the country. Simply said, the guy is accidental PM who snatched power ffrom the people. Being accidental PM is one thing and to be cluless as to how to run a government another. Some accidental PMs have done a resonable job while in office (at least kept peace and security of their countireis and peoples) , but, Abiy, he’s incompetent of the worst order. On top of that he’s a big laier.

    To be continued.

  9. Continued ….

    Mognu’s laughable defense continues: “At least Abiy kept Ethiopia afloat .. .” REALLY? From what you’re saying, I guess you’re out of the country somewhere in Europe or the U.S. Have you heard about inflation in the country which has gone over the roof? It is the second or third highest in the world around 60% (even if the government claims to be around 40%. Having this in mind, think of what the masses can do or cannot do faced with this level of inflation? Very, very limited. People in need of food are in tens of millions not counting without mentioning hunger in cities and towns. How is Abiy dealing this problem? Tells people to eat wild leaves and grasses which are unsuitable for human consumption and have no known nutritional value. This was a cruel joke on people suffering on a daily basis for years now. Hunger is compounded by the complete lack of peace and security in the country and gross violations of human and democratic rights. There is also problem of inability to defend the country from invaders such as Sudan and Eritrea which Abiy seems to ignore provided Oromia is out of danger. If this is what, you, Mognu calll “to keep the country “afloat”, you don’t know what’s like to keep a country afloat or are trying to deceive and get paid for a shoddy work. I feel that you’re subtly exposing Abiy than defending him. As a fifth columnist imbeded in his inner circle.

    Mognu invites us to watch a youtube video clip saying : “At least Abiy kept Ethiopia afloat despite this”! I opened the video clip but couldn’t watch it because the first few minutes made me sick to the stomack. Abiy says the day he was sworn in as a PPM, he was not allowed by his security chief to keep security officers who had been with him in the past. True or not, we don’t know. Assuming it to be true, why didn’t he fire his security chief who overrules him in the choice that concerns his life and the life of his family members? Obviously, he didn’t do that, but wants us to believe that his hands are tied by people working for him. At a larger level, what follows is evident: “not him but others” decide on essential issues such as peace and security, human rights and democracy, and territorial integrity of the country. As Pontius Pilate, Abiy was trying to wash his hands of responsibility. Though Muslim, he has read St. Matthew’s gospel. Pontius Pilate ‘washed his hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just person’. This was to show the crowd he did not want Jesus dead, but ordered his death because that is what the people wanted. What a coincidence of thoughts between Abiy and Pilate to point finger on others? No matter what, nobody believes Abiy in thie Pilate style pretext to absolve himself from responsibility. Sooner or later, the people will hold him accountable. Mognu, the paid defender of Abiy, will not be spared either.

    By the way, isn’t a president or PM to follow what his security chief tells him in matters of security? If he has time as Abiy did to talk about individual security officers, where can he find time to deal with the country’s problems? Well! Well! Well! Abiy has a lot of time in his hands to waste. Tree planlanting. Lay a foundation of a house to private indiviuals. Eat with the public for Ramadan or Easter. Drive around foreign dignitaries. Crash on meetings of journalists and artists. And what not? I think Abiy wastes so much time in irrelevant things at the expense of handling important matters of the country. At least partly, that explains the bankruptcy of his administration. Ethiopia is a country only workaholics can handle. If he wants to change, he should kick out infilitrators like Mognu from his circle. Even that might not help.

    Mognu is becoming JELAJEL. Read what he says ” . . . why do ‘Americans’ like you think that they are more Ethiopian than Abiy and care more about Amharas than Abiy? Had intellectuals like you really cared an iota about Amharas or Ethiopia, you would have gone back home and taught in your field!” I don’t know if the writer of the above article in American, but what if he is one? Can’t he write about the atrocities that go unchecked in the country? Evey major news net work has reported and are still reporting about atrocities being committed in the country the contributors of which are mostly foreigners. What JELAJEL must have asked is if ithe write-up is true? If true, who wrote it should not be an issue. And an Ethiopian is an Ethiopian and there is no “more” or “less” Ethiopin. If the writer is Ethiopian, the article does not make him “more”Ethiopian or “less” Ethiopia because of the content of his contribution. What JELAJEL brought as a dicotomy a fallacy.

    A ridiculous suggestion: ” Go back home and teacht in your field!” YES, when lousie Abiy vacates office and peace and security returns. Prison is not where I want to be.

    To be continued.

  10. Continued. . .

    The following amply shows that Mognu pooping in public. So, no need for comment on what he says below. I’m copying and pasting it to show how Jelajil he has become as he ploughs ahead blindly to defend A. Ahmed. .I see that money blinds more than anything else.

    ” እርሶ እኮ – እነዝያ – የሸምሱ እና የነስሩ ሱቅ – ፊት ለፊት እየተኮለኮሉ – ትምህርት ቤት አናስኬድ፣ ስራ አናሰራ፣ ወዘተ – የሚሉት – ቦዘኔዎች ዓይነት ሆኑብኝ! ለመርዶ ነጋሪ እማ – ዕድር አለ አይደል እንዴ? የነጋድራስ እስክንድርን ጋዜጣ መግዛት ፣ የነጋድራስ ቴዲን ዘፈን መግዛት ፣ እና የእርሶን የ’Washington Update’ PhD ‘thesis’ ማንበብ ምን አስፈለገኝ?

    The only relevant point from Mognu’s mumbo jumbo above is : “መፍትኼዎ ምንድነው? የት አለ? ” The answer is CHANGE.

    Here is more MEJAJAL : “እርሶ – በአብይ ቦታ ቢሆኑ ኖሮ – ምን ያደርጉ ነበር? በቂ ወታደር የሎት! የአስተዳደሩም – የወታደሩም – አውታር በሙሉ ተይዞ የነበረው በወያኔ ነው! እነሱን አፅድቶ – ሌላ – ኢትዮጵያን የሚያገለግል መመሥረት:- ወሬ ፈልስፎ – ጋዜጣ አትሞ እንደመሸጥ፣ pot አጭሶ – ሬጌ ዘፍኖ እንደመሸጥ፣ ወይንም ደግሞ እንደርሶ – የነሸጦት ቀን – የ’Washington Update’ን ሞጫጭሮ – ለዘሃበሻ fax እንደማረግ – ቀላል አይመስለኝም! ሌላ – ኢትዮጵያን የሚያገለግል መመሥረት

    After Abiy is throned as PM all these years, Mognu still blames ወያኔ. What stopped Abiy from building በቂ ወታደር after TPLF left? What did he do after TPLF generals and lieutenats retreated to Tigray? Despite the fact that Mognu presented building በቂ ወታደር as insurmountable, Abiy has tried them. It does not mean, however, he has done them to the level the country and its people expected. The proof is – TPLF almost overthrew him. Thanks to Fannoo and Amaaraa militia, they enabled him to keep his job. So much for Mognu’s “ሌላ – ኢትዮጵያን የሚያገለግል መመሥረት” testimony.

    Isn’t this guy – Mognu – who pose as a staunch defender of Abiy doing him a great disservice? I guess so. Here is another proof: “አብይ እኮ ከፈለገ – እንደ እርሶ – አሜሪካ አንደላቅቆ የምያኖረው ገንዘብ አለው!” Mognu! How much does Abiy have to let him have a comfortable life in the U.S.? As an insider, you must know. Tell us how much he has and save us time from asking help to locate his money in foreign banks. because I don’t know Amrican life, With the family size he has, I can’t guess how much he needs to live a comfortable life in the U.S. Maybe tens of millions of dollars. Last time I checked, he was complaining about the burder he carries for a small salary: 400 $. I don’t know if this is his hourly pay, but, though small, it does not include free housing, security, foreign travels, purchase of consumable items fully paid up from poor tax payers contributions. In any case, there is no way he can save tens of millions of dollars in four years unless he siphoned off tax money, loan or aid the country receives. Mognu! Tell us how much Abiy has, where he kept it and from what source. At least, side with the people on this matter.

    If I were Abiy, despite hundreds of millions of dollars in my pocket, I will not even dream to live in America. I guess there are close to a million Americans of Ethiopian extraction (sub divided into Amara, Oromo, Tigre, etc) all mad at Abiy’s wanting him to face justice for all the ills he brought on the country and its people. And I hear that the justice system works. I see what Mognu wants now.: Abiy to face American justice. Good job, buddy.

    To be continued.

  11. Continued…

    Mognu is telling us that Abiy has enough money to lead a comfortable life in America. I hope Mognu will answer some of the questions I raised to him in my previous comment which include “how much money Abiy has, where he’s keping it and from what source it came :” I don’t think Abiy has registered what asset he has with anti corruption commission. I just checked and they.re saying they have not account under his name. Some of my frieds are working on this issue and there might be a break through soon.But, I expect Mognu to tell us first.

    Still, Mognu pretends to defend Abiy even if he’s obviously trying to expose him. Whatever his intention is, he makes outlandish claims whic he does not substantiate. So, I’ll continue to write a rebuttal. Here is one point he raised. ” Amharas begging the White Supremacist West [WSW] and its institutions like the UN for justice is like Jews asking Nazis for favors.” This is sheer idiocy. Comparing apple and orage which are not comparable. Amharas are not begging anybody for anything. Seeking justice because it is denied in the country is not begging. And the West and U.N. are listening. I feel that Mognu is pissed off the readiness of the West and U.N. to take action. Mognu, you can say whatever you want, but Abiy is on the hook. Stay tuned.

    To be continued.

  12. Continued . . .
    Mognu has stopped posting comments supporting Abiy A.

    I’m still waiting for answers from Mognu to my questions about millions of dollars he claims Abiy has to live a comfortable life in America. I hope he will return to enlighten us on this serous claim.

    Today, I ‘ll share my opinion on Mognu’s comment on « ከTPLF ጋር ድርድር » Mognu asks «What does Ethiopia get from negotiation with TPLF?». My reply to this question is « Nothing ». Mognu also asks : « Are the TPLF leaders who staged the ENDF’s Northern Command massacre willing to surrender peacefully to stand trial in Ethiopia for mass murder? » My reply is a resounding « NO ». In return, I’ll ask Mognu a quation which is « why did you limit the crimes of TPLF to the attacks of the ENDF? Didn’t they attack Amhara and Afar regions as well? » Yes, they did.
    I fully agree with Mognu that « Murder is Crime! NO free pass!!! » No question that TPLF is a criminal organization whose leaders should be prosecuted and sent to prison for life. With its ragtag militia, TPLF has led attacks on the ENDF, attacks on Amara and Afar regions in which hundreds of thousands were killed and/or disabled; it has led robbery of banks, hospitals, schools and allowed rape of women and children. It has as well led massive destruction of Amara and Afar public property and property of private citizens. These are war crimes and crimes against humanity – pure and simple. The constitution bans defense of statute of limitations and exoneration from these crimes. TPLF is caught in this constitutions web forever.

    However, what we’re observing is the Federal government led by Abiy A whom Mognu defends has appointed negotiators with TPLF even before Parliament lifted TPLF’s designation a terrorist organization.
    Such designations make part of the law of the country and their lifting needs parliamentary resolution. Constitutionally speaking, the executive led by Abiy cannot overule law enacted by parliament. If he does, he has acted beyond his power constitution ultra vires. Any negotiation – peace and security deals and other – with TPLF will be null and void since the executive violates the constitution. So, what Abiy is doing with TPLF is a waste of resources.

    To be continued.

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