By Habtamu Kebede
I obtained the details in this article from a reputable and trustworthy source. However, I have modified certain information to protect the identities of the victims from potential harm or retaliation by the autocratic Ethiopian regime. I am grateful for the bravery and determination of the individuals who revealed this information to me.
The atrocities shared in this article may not be entirely unique, as the Ethiopian regime has been known to perpetrate similar crimes with the full knowledge and approval of high-ranking officials. However, the stories presented in this article are firsthand accounts from victims who have experienced these horrific acts themselves. These harrowing testimonies provide a firsthand perspective on the atrocities committed by the regime.
Being wealthy in contemporary Ethiopia can be seen as a curse. This is the story of a man who was suddenly plunged into poverty. He is an ethnic Amhara who had purchased a property for seventy million birr before the currency lost its value and was devalued.
The property was well-finished with luxurious amenities and was being rented out for over half a million birr. The property was not located near any development projects and had no connection to the city’s improvement plans.
However, a group of city workers approached the tenants and gave them only three days to vacate the property, stating that a demolition crew would arrive in two days. The tenants, as expected, informed the landlord who was devastated by the news. He requested additional three days to properly remove the finishing materials,such as chandeliers, bathtubs, saunas, water tanks, and heaters.
However, he was informed that the property had already been sold to the demolition company and was asked to reimburse them and make a deal, which he did. At this point, the property was estimated to be worth one hundred and eighty million birr, but it was still demolished.
The city offered to pay him twelve million birr, but he has yet to receive this payment. To make matters worse, he is constantly threatened and harassed, and has gone from being a middle-class individual with hopes for a better future to a poor man.
Kidnapping has become a daily occurrence for many Ethiopian people. These kidnappings are often carried out by the regime’s special forces, whose primary duty is to protect Abiy Ahmed, the brutal dictator responsible for leading the country into a bloody war and causing instability.
For example, a bank manager was recently picked up from the branch where he had worked for several years, without any apparent reason other than his ethnicity as an Amhara. He was then held captive in a bunker near the palace and the republican army camp.
The kidnappers were identified as republican army officers, who then approached the victim’s wife and demanded a ransom of millions for his safe return. In order to raise the money, the banker’s wife had to turn to their social circle for help.
As a result of this traumatic experience, the bankeris no longer the same person and is suffering from the effects of the ordeal.
In another case, a Gurage businessman and his uncle were on their way to a wedding party when they were detained and violently attacked in the parking lot where the celebration was taking place.
The captors beat both men and forced them into the trunk of their car. They were then driven to a location behind the Skylight Hotel, where they were held captive for several days without being given any food.
During this time, the captors contacted the businessman’s wife and demanded a transfer of fifteen million birr,knowing the exact amount of money he had in his bank account. After the requested amount was transferred, the businessman was finally released. He was warned not to reveal his captivity to anyone, but upon his release, he learned that several of his business associates had also been through similar experiences. The captors still have the businessman’s vehicle in their possession.
Unsurprisingly, the Ethiopian regime and its senior leadership are apprehensive about the future as the country approaches a dangerous precipice.
In response, they have established a task force to objectively evaluate the military, political, and economic state of the nation and present a report to Abiy Ahmed.
The task force is comprised of individuals such as Girma Birru, Dema Negewo, Birhanu Julla, and others, all of whom are ethnic Oromos.
However, when they presented their findings to the erratic Abiy Ahmed, they were met with criticism and dismissed as pessimistic individuals living in ignorance..
The examples provided above are just a small glimpse into the larger issue of the current grim situation in Ethiopia. The country is plagued by lawlessness, with members of the regime acting as a loose cannon and causing harm to the general population.
