By Woubishet Sisay – Millions of Ethiopians who were frustrated and fade up by the 27 years dictatorial rule of ethnic Tigrayan minority dominated EPRDF/TPLF party, who robbed the country off billions of dollars, killed and tortured thousands of freedom fighters, finaly get ride of it in 2016.
Many thought that it was the begining of the end of the intimidation torture and killings of critical journalists, activists, civilians and ethnic tensions all over the country introduced by TPLF. Meanwhile, its divide and rule policy, many hoped and believed will be history after Abiy Ahmed came to power with a reform agenda. Unfortunately the current tendency and forceful actions of the government against civilian voices and rights proves the opposit – rather the curliest form of TPLF that depends on its army and police forces to silence the people and stay on power at any cost.
The so-called reformist Liberally leader failed to walk the talk and led the country to unspeakable messes including the war in the northern part that led to the death of around one million people, displacement of millions from all four corners of the country and ethnic based massacres in places like Shashement, Welega, etc… Within less than half a dozen years under his leadership the country went through grave pain and sufferings far more than what TPLF has done in 27 years since 1991.
Frustrated by all the unsolved economic and security challenges and pressure from ultra-ethnic groups, the government’s behavior is gradually changing and heading towards dictatorship. Limiting rights of people, unconditional and sudden brake-ins into to activists, journalists and political figures’ houses by security forces without court warrant are becoming common.
Some critical political parties today are complaining about a repeated prevention from holding general assembly meetings due to unknown reasons. His leadership is becoming more and more intolerant. Currently the government keeps pushing a panic button every time the people try to exercise their basic and democratic rights and deny citizens’ rights to work and live freely within the country. Now many of Ethiopians wonder what this leader who failed to walk the talk promised us to reform.
Not being able to suppress and hide illegal, undemocratic and insensitive activities all over the country including the recent draught related disaster, Abiy Ahmed’s government currently has either filtered or blocked the internet a few weeks ago that resumes till today. One has to use VPN proxies to connect to social media platforms and access to other information, contrary to the right to access free information.
In its recent press release regarding March 3, 2023 Adwa Victory Day celebration related incidents, The Ethiopian Human Rights Commission calls for implicated law enforcement officials to be subject to accountability. It said “Security forces have overreacted and needlessly beaten people, used tear gas, plastic and lethal bullets, and other excessive measures including on older persons and children resulting in at least one death, several bodily injuries and distress on people gathered around Menelik Square for the national celebration.
The Ethiopian Orthodox Church also announces the death of one clergy man due to tear gas fired to the religious followers gathered to celebrate St. Georges day which is celebrated on the same day. Such incidents are becoming common practices.
What resembles an ethnic based demobilization and displacement of citizens living in the vicinities of Addis Ababa and Oromia regional state particularly in different parts of West & East Wollega zones, by OLA (Oromo Liberation Army), has never stopped since PM Abiy came to power five years ago.
Other than labeling the OLA as terrorist organization together with TPLF in Parliament, no Oromia regional administration and Federal government official or security personnel are held accountable for their lack of protecting innocent civilians and providing security assurance. Killings and assaults that almost look like cleansing of other ethnic groups specifically the Amharas and the non Oromos from the area is still going on.
The continuing atrocities and human rights violations in Oromia regional state and elsewhere almost become a scenario which is out of the control of the Federal government.
Based on the constitution that allows zonal administrations to become regional states if they want, many ethnic based zones are showing interest to exercise this constitutional right. They hope that they will benefit from a separate budget that is would be allocated to them by the parliament if they secure this status of becoming a regional state, so that they can fulfill their society’s development requirements the way the locals want.
The government’s response was rather not the same for all zonal administrations that want to claim this right. Some ethnic zones secured the status by agreeing to become members of the ruling prosperity Party but others claiming the right and protesting when the government denied their rights, received tear gas and bullets from security forces instead. Somehow PM Abiy Ahmed himself is known to oppose the creation of solely ethnic based regional states and rather prefers a mix of ethnically and geographically demarcated regional administrations.
But it looks like the ultra-ethnic nationalists with in the government want to push the agenda as part of divide and rule policy they inherited from the previous government. Whether useful or not, this constitutional right which he was supposed to be blocked as soon as he came to power and come up with the best citizenship, geographic and socio-economic administrative format. Otherwise he should have either grant the right based on referendum or make a constitutional reform, or ban the constitution itself which is still the source of conflict in the country.
The government repeatedly failed to maintain rule of law and stop the ethnically motivated killings and internal displacements of millions of Ethiopians because of these actions that is happening here and there until today, to the extent that forced many people to believe that authorities in both federal and regional states are behind the atrocities.
Failure to promote peaceful coexistence between communities, and impotence to neutralize ethnically polarized society and political groups and not being able to promote citizenship politics are also the marks of PM Abiy’s leadership.
The main reason for the leadership to begin exercising what looks like an autocratic and dictatorial practices is the disappearing local support including the diaspora, for PM Abiy Ahmed’s government amongst many, especially as the leadership continues to trying to control every political and economic power by the Oromo ethnic nationals, just like the previous minority Tigrayan dominated rule did, that pushed the country to the brink of becoming a failed state.
Using political power and century’s old ethnic cause and rhetoric that lived for a long time within the secessionists and ultra-Oromo nationalists that believe “The Oromo was oppressed by all rulers that ruled in the past centuries” are now pushing many Oromos to take advantage of the current leadership and as their right time to compensate for their grief as long as the leader from Oromo is in power.
An attempt to control political and economic power by one ethnic group, and trying to answer demands of political human and legal rights by use of force including tear gas and live bullets is simply making them EPRDF/TPLF 2.0.
No wonder if the government starts to implement a full-fledged dictatorial rule as they continue to replicate what the previous ethnically polarized, greedy, divisive and oppressive rule has been doing.