I have no Enemy! Reality or denial?

By Getachew Reda

I am not referring to the Eritrean Jehovah Witnesses who defied the1993 Eritrea’s referendum and declined participating in the military service claimed they do not have enemy base on their religion. These once I am talking about are Ethiopian peaceful opposition top leaders.

The attitude I have no enemy reality or denial, such attitude is becoming the latest “faith”, and it is spreading fast. Who are the Ethiopian enemies we are talking about? Ethiopian enemies are numerous, the very active enemies who proved themselves such are TPLF/OLF/EPLF.  All their programs are carefully arranged to carry anti Ethiopia’s interest. Their crimes ranged from national treason, to mass and individual murders, dismantling the social, cultural fabric of the country, to the extent calculated murder that included of school children.

What triggered this article is the debate/interview    hosted by Netsanet Le Ethiopioa Radio with its guest Dr.Fekade Shewakena (BB- support group), addressing the question “Can we see /call EPRDF an enemy? If not, why not?” was the topic. His answer was “no, we can’t. I do not have enemy” (his answer was similar to that of Dr.Berhanu Nega’s on VOA). According to this faith, the theory “know your enemy” has no place since they do not categorize anyone as enemy, including the most notorious criminals who committed national treason and ethnic cleansing “OLF, TPLF, EPLF”. In short, there is no word called “enemy” known in their vocabulary.

It is all very sad to hear enemies we known so well who buried human-beings alive (Read Amora authored by Gidey Bahreshum page 207-209 –victims buried alive- Habte Gebretensay- , Teklay G/meskel-  Ataklti Seyoum -, Weyzero Ataklti Minchira (this last one is a lady) crime done by TPLF, the current Prime Minister of Ethiopia/EPRDF

Roasted on fire alive as a routine torture by TPLF torturers- Victims -1- Ato Gebrelibanos Mezgebo (elderly father of many children, shot to death while on sleep after several days of torture roasted on fire-)- 2- Ato Gezai Reda –elderly man still alive outside Ethiopia released from the torture and hellish prison after he was told I could bail himself out by paying them Birr 15,000 (then the equivalent of $7,500 U.S. dollars).  *the payment receipt given to him while he was released still obtained and kept for the record on his possession)- Read my article written “TRUE  STORY – The harrowing stories of TPLF mass murders in Tigrai as told by a surviving elder By Getachew Reda Nov 12, 2003 .” 

“…..The next morning Ato Gezai was interrogated as an accomplice of the Teranafit rebel group which TPLF saw as a sworn enemy. On the second day, they woke Ato Gezai up, took him out, and tied his hands behind his back against a tree, and set a pile of firewood between his legs. He was fixed to a tree trunk as the TPLF guys used tight ropes and wires to wrap him by. They started the fire between his legs, and Gezai Reda’s long journey into the world of hell controlled by TPLF starts in earnest. As a thick smoke chokes Ato Gezai, the fire has already created blisters all over his body. Out of desperation, he shouted “Kidus Michael! Kidus Michael…” His torturers heard what he said, and started to make fun of him. The torturers picked up two small rocks and rubbed the stones against each other and, mockingly, asked their victim: “Can you see your St. Michael in these stones?”

Crime by OLF (Just a few Sample out of the many crimes it committed) Sample taken from ”The Hidden Massacre of Amharas & Christians in Arsi,” Compiled and distributed by Ethiopian Information Service Network (S.H.I.N.E), Amsterdam, December 4, 1991 NOVEMBER 2, 1991:

On this very area (DIBU and GIGAN areas) the OLF opened fire beginning at 7 am thereby killing more than 1000 (one thousand people). The homes and properties of 16 peasant associations and their individual members were looted, pillaged and the rest set on fire by the OLF. The genocide which took place on this day was extremely horrendous and barbaric. For example, the OLF members after having forced two Christian elders to say “Allah Weaker” against their religious belief, have blind-folded these two elders with a piece of cloth and slaughtered them like animals and thrown them in front of the doorsteps of SAINT MIKAEL (MICHEL) CHURCH at GINGA.

NOVEMBER 5, 1991:

In a peasant association known as GOBENU CHAKA with the exception of 16 houses with corrugated roofs, all the remaining 116 houses (one hundred sixteen) were burnt down. While houses in the above -mentioned areas were set on fire, children and old people housed in these homes were also burnt alive. Those who were strong and tried to escape from the burning houses were shot at and the ones who survived have fled to an unknown direction. Within these two days, in these two districts alone property worth millions of Birr, accumulated over centuries has been destroyed. More than one thousand homes were burnt down. Schools and churches in the districts have been looted and pillaged. Parts of these schools and churches have also been burnt down. At this moment, in the whole sub-province 197 (one hundred ninety seven elementary and junior high schools as well as 2 (two) high schools, thus a total of 199 (one hundred ninety nine) schools are closed. While a school teacher in the district of MERTI had been killed, the remaining teachers have fled the area. With the exception of government offices in the sub-provincial capital, all government offices in other parts of the sub-province have been looted and closed. The culprits or the people responsible for this serious massacre (genocide) of people and the destruction of property are:

1) Mr. Kassim Hussien representative of the OLF in ARSI administrative region.

2) Mr. Abiyu Gilo representative of the OLF in the district of MERTI, HOMBA area.

3) Mr. Mohammed Kebir Adem otherwise known as Mohammed Moye a rich merchant in the district of Guna and member of the OLF.

4) Mr. Adem Abdulahi a very rich merchant of GEGU district and member of the OLF.

These four people are the general commanders and coordinators.

The following people are members of the OLF and commanders of the army who master-minded and led the OLF army that perpetrated these above-mentioned atrocities): 1) Mr. Sultan Kedir 2-Mr.Reshad Feto 3-Mr.Ahmed Amane  4-Tutuna Kedir 5-Gibriel Sheik Muktar 6) Mr. Geylana Hagihum  7) Mr. Sikuare Sane. While OLF still remains loops and unaccountable –still vowing to destroy Ethiopia and establish Oromia from the under-ruinous of the Empire State (Ethiopia).

Those groups with all the mentioned crime do not conceder as enemies and works of the enemies in the eye of Fekade Shewakena, Berhanu Nega and the rest of the peaceful change seekers. It is alarming situation for all of us when terrorists who committed the above hideous TROCITY such as OLF are considered by Fekade Shewakena as the “Freedom Fighters”. Fekade on his article (The Competition of the TPLF and EPLF for Good looks- By Fekade Shewakena- “It (EPRDF) is accusing all freedom fighters who refuse to be subjugated including the OLF”.). In that article Fekade is defending “the Freedom Fighter”-OLF-  after EPRDF/TPLF accusing OLF for planting 34 bombs (exploded) in Addis Ababa alone after the TPLF security channel found out the 12 strictures (members with different mission) in which the conspirators themselves were victims of their own explosion.

I will live this up to the victims of the OLF atrocity mentioned above if they were going to call OLF Freedom Fighters or terrorist, thugs and criminals based on the record clear to every decent mind to judge.

The peaceful change advocates also not only Fekade or Berhanu but there are other prominent educated Ethiopians like Dr. Getachew Metaferia who advice us with in his arguments  in EEDN discussion forum  on June 17 2003, saying

“The choice between armed or peaceful struggle is another controversial issue that some raised and discussed. An armed struggle is supported to free countries from the bondage of colonialism. This is not the case of Ethiopia. Ours is a struggle to replace a regime that has caused immense sufferings to our people. We can not call for armed struggle whenever our leader’s mal-administer, abuse their power, and fail to protect national interest”. In this position, these educated sectors are telling the Ethiopian people- that this requiem committing atrocity is not conceder enemy as a foreign power from outside. What does foreign power do worst than what we have noticed at the above file recorded? Let me bring Fekade’s his own word if such system should or shouldn’t be conceder equal with outsider’s abuse.

“I never knew narrow ethnic nationalism could turn healthy people into complete fascists. “ (In the same article mentioned above).

 “Thanks to them (EPRDF) all we have succeeded in having a mini Rwanda in south west Ethiopia. I thought Rwanda would be the last place that I have to apologize to humanity for being an African. I am now to apologize for being an Ethiopian too” (on the case of Oromo Students at the AAU- (by Fekade Shewakena)

Ladies and gentlemen- Our sisters/mothers cried “Alekin! Alekin!” (We are finished! We are finished!). We still couldn’t figure out what to call this unnamed monster whether to call him enemy or to fight him with a rifle since we have leaders who are confusing us in between the cry of the mothers help.

A crime is done, only a crime that you expect to be done by outside force/system. Unfortunately, they are from inside calling themselves under the guise name “freedom fighters” calling themselves -OLF, TPLF, EPLF- Such crimes are committed only by the powerful who committed them in order to see how far they can go before they, on their turn, are punished. There is always somebody powerful enough to punish criminals.

Only Meles, Isayas and the gangs Ku-Klux Klaner “the Big Boys of OLF” are above the greatest criminals be punished. They are the greatest criminals. But, there is little or no morality to speak. Because political oppositions are craving “love” these monster enemies. 

Each of these thuggish parties program is formed on language base, blood /ethnic base administration. This is Fascism! 53 years (1933-1983 Ethiopian Calendars) after buried, fascism has come out of grave rest, healthy, blood thirst. Ethnic fascists have been having a field while the educated stood by it calling it “not an enemy”. There is other name to call such monster but to call it Fascism! And fascism is enemy as Fekade called this enemy’s‘s narrow nationalist followers “fascists” (on his above mentioned article).  Indeed, it is fascism, and it doesn’t not wear any masks any more (listen to OLF members through their Pal Talk and the OLF policy and its leader’s speech the mission they have to Ethiopia).

It is destruction, it is the ethnic cleansing, the dismantling of Ethiopia to ashes as the daily slogan and mission of such barbaric organizations. It is therefore important to alert society what this barbaric fascistic party are thinking and saying about the Ethiopian people and its future existence. Unless we inform society categorizing the nature and mission of the enemy it is cooking against them. After the enemy destroy and commit atrocity as it did several times, we too are direct or indirect accomplice /contributors to the misery and conspiracy. One need not sophisticated eye to see there was great conspiracy and fascism going on against different people in Ethiopia by the mentioned parties to destroy the fabric and ethics and religion of the country. If we stood by and let these fascists get away with it by calling them “freedom Fighters”, we too are part of the crime for not exposing them and took them to international court of law for accountability to the atrocity they commit against poor farmers and children, pregnant mothers and elders. Some of you think you do not have enemy, I say – lucky you! I have plenty of enemies as Ethiopia is surrounded by enemies. It is the matter of time that Ethiopia will prevail!