Ahmed Alimirah
July 24, 2021
We strongly condemn the heinous indiscriminate attacks against the Afar people by The TPLF Junta. My condolences and sympathy go to the Afars who have suffered-those who have lost their loved ones, been displaced, and have suffered injuries and loss of property. The TPLF Junta is waging full scale war with heavy artillery and machine guns against Afar towns bordering the Tigray region. Hundreds of civilians are fleeing the area in fear of their lives, forced to abandon their homes and livestock. In the meantime, I congratulate the brave Afar people and their special forces for their defense of their Motherland. It is known that the Afar land is a graveyard for invaders, external and internal. History tells us many invading armies vanished in the Afar desert. The TPLF Junta will face the same fate inshallah.
Unfortunately, the Afars are forced to defend their borders on many fronts-with no help from other Ethiopians even though for centuries the Afars have been sacrificing in their defense of Ethiopia from external enemies. The late Sultan Alimirah Hanfare, supreme leader of the Afar people advocated for Ethiopian unity during his 67 years of rule. When the Communist Dergue Regime collapsed and Mengistu fled the country, the TPLF established the most corrupt system in Ethiopia -particularly in the Afar Region. The Afar region is one of the most underdeveloped neglected and marginalized regions of Ethiopia even though it is one of the most strategic and vital for the Ethiopian nation.
Meanwhile, the TPLF with their propaganda machine and claims that people in Tigray are on the brink of starvation have in fact attacked over 60 trucks of food relief destined for their own Tigray people. The international community and the relief agencies in particular must not remain silent in the face of these injustices.
In theory, self administrating independent rule for multi ethnic and religious groups in Ethiopia seems to be a solution all could live with. However, the TPLF led Ethiopian Government for the past 27 years has been using the arrangement for their own betterment to the detriment of other Ethiopian ethnic groups including the Afar people, imposing their puppets and cronies.
We are looking forward to the new incoming administration which will hopefully bring in a new era.
I wish for all Ethiopian people – and the younger generation in particular a bright future with no conflicts and wars, a future with prosperity, peace and equal rights.
Ahmed Alimirah
Sultan of the Afar Sultanate