Al Mariam’s Commentaries
September 11, 2022
The Biden administration is in full agreement that horrifying atrocities are being committed in Tigray. We will not stand by in the face of horrors in Tigray…. The use of the specific terms genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity is a legal determination. We have had an expedited legal and fact-based review underway to make a determination on that. The final decision rests with the Secretary of State. I can’t give you a specific timeline. It is his decision to make. The expedited review is quite far along. Robert Godec, US Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of African Affairs, June 29, 2021. (Boldface added.)
Conflict-related sexual violence is abhorrent and unacceptable in our world. This week, UK and NATO ministers agreed powerful action to stand up to these brutal crimes and ensure we can protect and support victims and survivors today and in the future. Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, June 3, 2021. (Boldface added.)
We encourage a robust process that responds to the Government of Ethiopia’s declared readiness to go “anywhere, anytime” for the sake of peace and the TPLF’s statement today that they are ready to end the fighting and seek to resolve outstanding issues through dialogue… The United States supports Ethiopia’s unity, sovereignty, and territorial integrity and wants to return to a strong partnership. Press Statement, Antony Blinken, Secretary of State, September 11, 2022. (Boldface added.)
Today, September 11, 2022, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken issued a Press Statement.
I know not if Blinken is a student of Shakespeare. But I commend to him Richard III, Act 5, Scene 5
RICHMOND (Richmond, King Henry VII, the steady ruler with gentle leadership):
God and your arms be praised, victorious friends!
The day is ours; the bloody dog is dead.
…Abate the edge of traitors, gracious Lord,
That would reduce these bloody days again
And make poor Ethiopia [England] weep in streams of blood!
Let them not live to taste this land’s increase
That would with treason wound this fair land’s peace!
Now civil wounds are stopped, peace lives again:
That she, Ethiopia, [England] may long live here, God say amen!Perhaps the wisdom of President George Bush II is more expressive.
I say to Blinken:
Fool me once shame on you, fool me- you can’t get fooled again.
Say I, “Ethiopians, friends and countrymen! The bloody TPLF dog is dead!
Thank God Almighty! Amen! (Alemayehu G. Mariam)
CRY HAVOC (GENOCIDE) AND LET SLIP THE VULTURES OF WAR WAR IN ETHIOPIA
I have said a million times, and I will say it again!
The Biden Administration (under Susan Rice’s thumb), the British Government and the United Nations (under the influence of TerrorTed Adhanom, the titular head of the World Health Organization) along with certain other Western countries, are in overdrive trying to restore the terrorist TPLF to power, and if that is not possible to totally destroy Ethiopia
1) economically (by imposing sanctions, preventing World Bank and others to shut off loans to Ethiopia, etc.);
3) militarily (imposing arms embargo on Ethiopia but covertly supplying arms and communications equipment to terrorist TPLF through Egypt, and by providing live battlefield satellite intelligence to the TPLF to attack Ethiopian forces, etc.);
4) socially (by supporting terrorists groups, make-believe hate-mongering political parties and inciting rebellion throughout Ethiopia, etc. );
5) diplomatically (jacking up Ethiopia before the UN Security Council and appointing a bogus human rights investigating commission, etc.);
6) politically (using their legislative and other institutions to impose punitive measures, etc.);
7) propagandistically (mounting massive global campaigns of disinformation and demonization against Ethiopia using the Western press-titute media, etc.)
The Vultures of War have left no stones unturned to accomplish their evil objectives.
But they have failed spectacularly.
They are now grasping their very last straw:
DECLARE GENOCIDE IN TIGRAY AND SEND US COMBAT TROOPS TO RESTORE TERRORIST TPLF TO POWER IN ETHIOPIA.
THE VULTURES OF WAR AND THEIR MAGICAL INCANTATIONS OF “GENOCIDE,” “FAMINE,” “HUMANITARIAN CRISIS,” “HUMAN RGHTS ABUSES,” “WAR CRIMES”
The Vultures of War circling Ethiopia today are screeching out their magical incantations in preparation to wage a humanitarian war.
“Tigray Genocide!”
“Tigray War Crimes!”
“Tigray Famine!”
“Tigray Ethnic Cleansing!”
“Tigray Atrocities!”
“Tigray Crisis!”
“Tigray Gender-based Violence!”
“Tigray Human Rights Abuses!”
It is the same incantation Susan Rice, the Princess of Darkness, Samantha Power, the Queen of Beggars and US UN Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield have been chanting for the past year and nine months.
The troika, or if you prefer to wax Shakespearean (Macbeth), the “Three Wicked Witches,” never miss an opportunity to remind the world Tigray is hell on earth.
What they never mention is the irrefutable fact the terrorist TPLF is solely and singularly responsible for making Tigray hell on earth by conscripting child soldiers, converting humanitarian aid to support its terrorist army, looting humanitarian warehouses and starving and using the people of Tigray as pawns in its futile and comical efforts to regain power.
So, by incanting the magical words “Abracadabra Genocide,” the Vultures of War seek to capture the world’s attention and command the supreme moral high ground to justify a humanitarian invasion of Ethiopia.
THE GENOCIDE LIES OF THE TPLF AND THE VULTURES OF WAR
There is nothing new in the current disinformation campaign of the Vultures of War about genocide in Tigray.
The TPLF has been preaching the coming of an Armageddon of Genocide in Ethiopia for decades.
Almost to the week, on September 18, 2016, I wrote a commentary entitled, “The Truth About T-TPLF Genocide Lies and Disinformation in Ethiopia.”
In that commentary, I discussed the interviews given by two top terrorist TPLF leaders about the end of the TPLF and the certain doom of genocide over the horizon.
Abaye Tsehaye, one of the original TPLF founders and executive member of the TPLF Central Committee in the interview announced (forward video to 53:30) an impending genocide in Ethiopia:
… Similar things that happened in Rwanda are happening in Ethiopia. Two people called Tutsis and Hutus, one (group) was in power, the other was out of power. One group had tried to get advantage during colonial rule and using mass media, armed forces, with (political) parties coordinated a campaign. They separated (the Tutsis) by looking at their (facial) features, by their tradition. They mobilized Hutus to destroy Tutsis. That’s how so many millions were (killed) and so many driven into exile.
When EPRDF took power, Rwanda as a country, as a people was destroyed. It had disintegrated. (No one thought) it could be put back together. That’s how it started.
It (genocide) had been in a process of agitation for a while. It was something that was in preparation, coordination. Later they came to regret it and began a process of reconciliation and forgiveness; the people became one and (Rwanda) were able to become one country.
The question in Ethiopia is do we have a chance of coming together and becoming one country?
That is what we need to see. There (in Rwanda) there are only two (groups). They saw the destruction was so devastating, after they paid all that price, they came to the right stand. To reconcile, to become one country and one people, they were able to go on the way of development and peace.
In Ethiopia there are 80 plus nations and nationalities, once bloodshed begins, it will go from one end (of the country) to the other end. No one can stop it. It has started already started in one or two places. Once it gets out of control like in Rwanda, the chances of being one people, one country will not exist.
It is the same old and tired genocide narrative the TPLF has nurtured and promoted for decades.
In the run up to the 2005 Ethiopian general election, the late TPLF thugmaster Meles Zenawi said voters should not cast their ballot for opposition parties because they were genocide-mongers:
I call on the people of Ethiopia to punish opposition parties who are promoting an ideology of hatred and divisiveness by denying them their votes at election on May 15. Their policies are geared toward creating hatred and rifts between ethnic groups similar to the policies of the Interahamwe when Hutu militia massacred Tutsis in Rwanda. It is a dangerous policy that leads the nation to violence and bloodshed.
Indeed, Zenawi used to say Ethiopia without his TPLF will go the way of Yugoslavia.
In my May 17, 2021, commentary, “Susan Rice’s “SECOND May Surprise” Dirty Trick: Use the U.S. Senate to Declare Genocide in Ethiopia!”, I predicted what the US would do in the foreseeable future to support the terrorist TPLF and eventually restore it to power.
1) Cutoff of U.S. aid.
2) Demand a genocide investigation in Tigray.
3) Demand in-country protection of Tigrayans as “victims of ethnic cleansing.”
4) Demand “full, independent, international investigation” of human rights violations in Tigray.
5) Put pressure on the World Bank and other multilateral organizations to deny Ethiopia loans and other financial support.
6) Issue visa-based sanctions against Ethiopian leaders and others under the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act.
On May 27, 2021, ten days after I wrote my commentary, Robert Godec, acting assistant secretary of state for the State Department’s Bureau of African Affairs told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee what I predicted the US will do to the letter:
Video Player
Senator Robert Menendez, Chairman Foreign Relations Committee: The conflict in Tigray has taken a horrific toll on the population as we have spoken about and heard here. And the implications for international peace and security are significant. Secretary Blinken at a House Foreign Affairs hearing on March the 10th said, ‘There had been acts of ethnic cleansing in Western Tigray.’
So, Ambassador, are we witnessing war crimes and crimes against humanity in Tigray?
Robert F. Godec, Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs: Thank you Mr. Chairman. The United States, as I said, is horrified by the reports of brutal killings, sexual violence, gang rapes, forced removals, wanton destruction, the acts of ethnic cleansing that Secretary Blinken referred to. We condemn all of these in the strongest possible terms.
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has warned the international community has seen atrocities that may well amount to war crimes or crimes against humanity. The patriarch of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church has termed the conflict a genocide against the Tigrean people. The Department of State takes those warning extremely seriously and is pressing all parties to end the conflict.
Menendez: So, the State Department is not ready to call it a [inaudible]
Godec: Mr. Chairman we are acutely aware of the need to determine whether the conduct meets the legal standards for atrocity crimes…
Menendez: We are acutely waiting for that determination. Many of us believe these are war crimes and crimes against humanity, so I understand the concerns of such a designation but we cannot turn blindly away when such things happen in the world. And so I look forward for the State Department’s determination. I hope they will come to the right one.In addition, visa restrictions and pausing assistance, what other measure is the Biden administration prepared to take to respond to the continuing human rights abuses?
Godec: Mr. Chairman. Let me just add to the previous question. We do have a fact-based review underway that is being conducted very quickly and the Secretary of State has the final determination on this. With respect to other actions we are prepared to take beyond visa restrictions as I noted in my statement, we have suspended much of our assistance certainly related to economic growth and security assistance. We are looking at a range of other sanctions to include global Magnitsky act sanctions, other potential sanctions that would be targeted and directed at individuals or institutions that are supporting the ongoing conflict impeding resolution, impeding an end to the conflict or otherwise obstructing humanitarian access or committing human rights abuses and violations. We made very clear the Secretary of State previously if we did not see immediate progress on these fronts, we will be proposing additional sanctions. Ethiopia and Eritrea can expect further actions.
Menendez: Give me a sense, the committee a sense what are the implication for US strategic interest in the Horn of Africa should instability in Ethiopia become more widespread?
Godec: Obviously, the risk at this moment is very large. If the conflict in Ethiopia spreads, it will destabilize the entire region. Ethiopia has been a critical anchor in the region. They supply peacekeeping troops to some missions in Somalia. I think if Ethiopia continues down the road it is going, there is a risk of a massive humanitarian crisis, refugee crisis, and it poses a risk to the wider region as well. Obviously, the Red Sea region is a critical Thorofare for commerce and it has potential for wide area to be destabilized and poses a significant risk to the interests of the United States and obviously the people in the region.
Menendez: Ms. Charles, your testimony is rather riveting. What is the scope and scale of the gender-based violence in Tigray? Is the government trying to suppress information about the extent of the use of rape as a weapon of war and what efforts are we making to respond to the needs of survivors given the gaps identified by NGOs?
Godec: Thank you for that question, Senator Menendez. What we are seeing is widespread and systematic targeting of women using gender-based violence in ways that are really quite horrific and as I mentioned in my testimony some of the worst instance of gender-based violence I have seen in my 20-years of humanitarian work. We are providing support services for victims of gender-based violence including psychosocial care, safe spaces for women and girls, training of social workers. The UN estimates that 22 thousand women could seek treatment for gender-based violence this year in Tigray and we anticipate but that is a significant underestimate of the number of women who have suffered from gender-based violence not least of which because of the steps the parties are taking to block access. And we feel like as much as we are supporting protection and support for victims of gender-based violence the ability of our partners to be present and make sustained presence throughout Tigrean and not just urban center is necessary to ultimately provide protection services.
On June 3, 2021, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon openly threaten a humanitarian war on Ethiopia tweeting:
Conflict-related sexual violence is abhorrent and unacceptable in our world. This week, UK and NATO ministers agreed powerful action to stand up to these brutal crimes and ensure we can protect and support victims and survivors today and in the future.
On June 16, 2021, Michael McCaul, the filthy rich Texas congressman, for all intents and purposes, declared genocide was taking place in Tigray:
As the fighting continues, there is starvation and systematic rape being used as a weapon of war. And comments from [USAID head Samantha Power] that Ethiopia is ‘destroying the reproductive health of Tigrayans’ really calls into question whether conditions amount to genocide under the 1948 Genocide Convention.”
On June 29, 2021, Robert Godec, acting assistant secretary of state for the State Department’s Bureau of African Affairs told the House Foreign Relations Committee the Biden administration was far advanced in its assessment of whether to call events crimes against humanity, genocide or war crimes in Ethiopia.
(Full hearing video here).
Video Player
Congressman Gregory Meeks, Chairman, House Foreign Relations Committee: I recognize Ilhan Omar of Minnesota who is the Vice Chair of the Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health and Global Human Rights for 5 minutes.
Omar: Thank you Mr. Chair. I want to start by quickly saying my heart goes out to Doctors Without Borders and Save the Children both of whom had staff that were brutally murdered this past week.
Mr. Godec, what is the status of the legal determination on atrocity crimes in Ethiopia? When can we expect to see a formal determination on ethnic cleansing, crimes against humanity, war crimes and genocide?
Godec: Thank you for the question, congresswoman. The Biden administration strongly believes that human rights abuses, violations and atrocities have been and are being committed in Tigray. And we have been deeply concerned about that for some time. The use of the specific terms genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity is a legal determination. We have had an expedited legal and fact-based review underway to make a determination on that. The final decision rests with the Secretary of State. I can’t give you a specific timeline. It is his decision to make. The expedited review is quite far along.
Omar: I appreciate that. I have raised that with him and will continue to raise that. So many of my constituents are asking for us to do so.
TPLF/VULTURES OF WAR SOCIAL MEDIA WARFARE
Data scientists at Getfact.org have shown that PRIOR to the terrorist TPLF attack on the Northern Command, a coordinated effort was made by terrorist TPLF operatives in the US and elsewhere managing a massive social media campaign to propagate a “genocide” narrative for Tigray and influence the international community and particularly US foreign policy.
Among the major findings of the data scientists include the following;
1) “Non-military actors outside Ethiopia were coordinating the #TigaryGenocide cyber campaign linked to the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) military command preplanned military attack or “pre-emptive strike” on the Ethiopian military base.
2) “On the nights of Nov 3rd and Nov 4th, 2020, 17 accounts were created, and the first “#TigrayGenocide” tweet began on Tuesday at 19:46 from one of these accounts. This is considered the genesis of the “#TigrayGenocide” hashtag, and it was never used before this day.”
3) “The data how “#TigrayGenocide” was launched before and during the attack on thousands of Ethiopian National Defense Forces (ENDF) stationed in Tigray, many of whom were massacred by TPLF forces while they slept. #TigrayGenocide” was already launched and circulating the international social media hubs long before Ethiopian forces responded to the attack by the TPLF that started the war and the ongoing humanitarian crisis.
4) Approximately 184 additional twitter accounts were created, with a total of 201 accounts being created nearly the same day on Nov 4th, 2020, pushing the “#TigrayGenocide” worldwide. This is the most significant number of accounts created to propagate the genocide narrative within a single day.
5) On Nov 5th, 2020, 156 additional new accounts were created, with a cumulative of 357 that started “#TigrayGenocide” tweet. Between Nov 5th – Nov 30th of 2020, nearly 1633 cumulative new accounts opened and reached 75,581 “#TigrayGenocide” tweets.
6) “After Nov 5th, 2020, daily new account creation declined by more than 80 percent, while the #TigrayGencoide retweets sharply increased. This indicates the first 201 accounts created on Nov 3rd and 4th, 2020, were the ones driving the genocide hashtag for the consecutive months following the beginning of the conflict.
7) While the “TigrayGenocide” hashtag retweets increased exponentially, there was no communication (internet or phone) between Nov 4th to Nov 30th from the Tigray region to the outside world. This raises an important question – if there was no communication in Nov with Tigray, then who are the eyewitnesses to the alleged “genocide,” and who is reporting to the world?
8) The “#TigrayGenocide” campaign circulated without providing specific incidents of that including the number of victims, location, date, and time of the alleged genocidal act.
9) A large percentage of the accounts tweeting “#TigrayGenocide” for the first two months were outside Ethiopia and concentrated in specific locations such as Melbourne-Australia, Colorado-USA, Enschede-Netherland, and Islington-London.
10) Between January – February 2021, the “#TigrayGenocide” was trending with 50,000 retweets per day. A coordinated effort from non-Ethiopian individuals from Tanzania and Kenya, with more than a million account followers, were tweeting this hashtag, giving it an international social media voice.
The fact that #TigrayGenocide began on the night of Nov 3-4th during the TPLF attack and electric blackout, even before the Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF) response, clearly shows that non-military actors outside Ethiopia were coordinating a #TigrayGenocide cyber attack with military action in Tigray. This campaign was designed to distract the international community and shape the public perception away from the actual aggression of the TPLF.
Today, September 11, 2022, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken issued a Press Statement:
We encourage a robust process that responds to the Government of Ethiopia’s declared readiness to go “anywhere, anytime” for the sake of peace and the TPLF’s statement today that they are ready to end the fighting and seek to resolve outstanding issues through dialogue… The United States supports Ethiopia’s unity, sovereignty, and territorial integrity and wants to return to a strong partnership. (Boldface added.)
I know not if Blinken is a student of Shakespeare.
But I commend to him Richard III, Act 5, Scene 5
RICHMOND (Richmond, King Henry VII, the steady ruler with gentle leadership):
God and your arms be praised, victorious friends!
The day is ours; the bloody dog is dead.
…Abate the edge of traitors, gracious Lord,
That would reduce these bloody days again
And make poor Ethiopia [England]weep in streams of blood!
Let them not live to taste this land’s increase
That would with treason wound this fair land’s peace!
Now civil wounds are stopped, peace lives again:
That she, Ethiopia, [England] may long live here, God say amen!
Perhaps the wisdom of President George Bush II is more expressive.
I say to Blinken:
Fool me once shame on you, fool me- you can’t get fooled again.
Say I, “Ethiopians, friends and countrymen! The bloody TPLF dog is dead!
Thank God Almighty! Amen!
TO BE CONTINUED…