By Abinet Hunegnaw
INTRODUCTION
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To all readers, particularly for foreigners, please be advised that even as we speak, the present TPLF dominated regime using its restrictive laws, the ATP or Anti terrorism proclamations of 2009 and the State of emergency of 2016, is committing untold persecution in the form of extrajudicial killings and arbitrary detentions in the Amhara state. The Amhara have officially begun a protracted armed struggle against the regime. Due to frequent restrictions in internet and mobile phone usage and limitations, clear cut information is not allowed to come out of Ethiopia. The international community is purposely kept in the dark and only gets the wrong propaganda sprayed by the regime’s and its satellites’ media. Some forces within the opposition on their part have begun a very negative propaganda war against Amharans who began an open defiance and resistance against oppression. The negative rhetoric of these forces and individuals indicate a clear cut sinister objective of seizing power at the expense of the innocent blood shed in Amhara. The continuing denial of Amhara resistance by them has reached an irresponsible stage. For these so called oppositions, the genocide of Amhara is nothing more than a collateral damage. This approach on the part of these power hungry diaspora based anti regime individuals and groups is an open declaration of war on the Amhara people. This is an ABOMINATION.
Whether these groups and anti Amhara forces like it or not: The resistance and the quest for a viable Amhara organization won’t be averted. The Amhara silent civil uprising and protracted war against the regime is going on with intensity in Welkait, Tsegede, Humera, Armachiho & the Wegera district’s Janora & Anqashe localities. Now, Amhara resistance is wide spreading like wild fire all over Northern Gondar zone without any recognition, attention and coverage by international media. However, due to intense Amhara activism in Britain, ‘The Guardian’ on 12/22/2016 became the first world media to break the cycle of silence by writing an article entitled “Ethnic tensions in Gondar reflect the toxic nature of Ethiopian politics”. To Amhara resistance this is very encouraging. On page 24 of this article it reads:
“Shops and schools have reopened in Gondar, after the authorities reasserted control in urban areas by declaring a state of emergency on 8 October. But sporadic clashes with the military continue in the countryside.”
The total dismemberment of Amhara began with a bang when the TPLF took significant proportion of lands from Gondar and Wollo. Apart from territories that the Tigryan junta transferred as a handout to other regional states and Sudan, it created special zones like Awi, Wag, Argoba, Oromo, Kemant/Qimant, and in due course Lasta, Morret, etc. will follow suit with the right to secede, completing the process. Will Amhara survive such onslaught or not, therefore, depends on the success of an organized resistance and a positive response by all Amharas to a united front.
PART ONE
The writer informs readers that the article ”አስቸኩዋይ ጥሪ ለመላው አማራ ተወላጆች በሙሉ or “Emergency call to all Amharas” and Telahun Ashenafee’s ”አማራ ማነው or “Who is Amhara” are the basis for this paper.
AMHARA
There are a number of conflicting analysis and approaches in history and related literature about the definite background and identity of the Amhara. Most say Amharas are Semitic and give them a Semitic ethnic code. Some others describe them to have a Cushitic stock. In Ethiopia, the longstanding conventional wisdom and the available reading material without deeply researching & analysing historical evidence simply hooked itself with a controversial conclusion. Such mentality that explains the Amhara in terms of a Semitic base and a fake identity based on Yemeni immigrants who came and settled in the northern part of the country during the Sabean era is absolutely unacceptable.
However, serious archeological, anthropological, genealogical and related researches and studies no longer support the unscientific & myths like approach mentioned above and strongly advocate that the Amhara people are Cushitic and did not come from across the Gulf of Aden. The studies place ancient Amhara in the Tana Lake & Blue Nile river valley that includes Gojam and todays Wollega, the Merb and Tekezie rivers drainage zone that includes Setit Humera, Kasalla which is now in Sudan, Welkait, Tsegede, and Tselemt, around the Beshilo and Mile rivers basin and since time immemorial known as Amhara Saint, Angot, Bete Amhara, Lakomelza, Bete mariam etc. and as far as the Awash river basin that includes the whole of Shewa including Metehara, Awash National Park, the Kesem Bereha, etc. Therefore, all must understand that አማራ መጤ አይደለም! (Amhara by all means is not an immigrant!)
The ancient Greek maps of what is today’s Ethiopia clearly placed the Amhara just as described in this paragraph. (Refer to Tilahun’s “Who is Amhara” for the ancient Greek map). Most scholars who did deep study and research, refer to tangible evidence rather than fiction and agree that settlements around the Nile river banks began over 50000 years ago. According to T.A Neter Foundation publication based on the’ Hebrew Torah’ puts Ethiopia in a geographic context as follows:
“And a river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from thence it was parted, and became into four heads … and the name of the second river is Ghion: the same is it that compasseth the whole land of Ethiopia.”
The publication deals with Ethiopia and Kush from 13000 BC up to 700 AD. Since time immemorial, Amhara people have been living in the Blue Nile river valley. Therefore, it is sufficient to conclude that the Amhara people need to be listed in the category of other local or indigenous groups identified as Cushitic.
*The writer knows very well this approach is highly controversial and will cause a barrage of negative comments. But let us expand what I outlined further in a scientific or empirical way rather than based upon repeatedly expressed and unconvincing conclusions of conventional wisdom and mythology forced upon us for several generations.*
Amhara peoples’ Cushitic lineage and as one of the ancient inhabitants of Ethiopia is also strengthened further by the living chronicles of the famous Ethiopian priest and Saint Abune Teklehaymanot who lived between 1205 & 1304 AD. (Some historians put the time 1215 to 1313 AD) He traveled extensively from his base in Bulga Shewa to southern and northern Ethiopia spreading christianity and converted many followers. His works clearly indicates that:
”when Christians from Ancient Axum traveled south to the highlands, they found this non Christian people with a different tongue and religious beliefs from their own. This people in Amhara country (land), speak with a different tongue and prey before a Python to whom they offer a sacrifice at all times …”
Basil Davidson, the renown Historian in his ‘Africa Episode 1’ entitled ‘Different but Equal’ in 1984 provided a detailed analysis of ‘Nubia’s Cush civilisation’ showed an ancient stone statue of a python, and concluded by saying:
”…At Naga, the Python on the other hand was an inner African religious symbol regarded in many lands down to this day as a figure of spiritual power… ”
This detailed evidence strongly links ancient Amhara beliefs found in Gorgora and Hayek with the beliefs held by the Nubian Cush of that particular moment in history. One must ask why the ‘Python’ was a religious symbol at that time in Nubia and Amhara? Remember both Nubia and Amhara are mostly identified with the Nile river valley. The best possible answer therefore, should be that Amharas humble past has a Cushitic beginning. The saintly testimony of Teklehaymanot shows that the Amhara existed with distinct culture and way of belief from the northerners. This also openly & strongly confirms that Amharas are not immigrants (አማራ መጤ አይደለም). Although, the Axumites are believed to be widely mixed with those Arabian settlers, there is a strong evidence that suggests the base of their ethnic stock was also Cushitic.
Without any doubt the Arabian migrants settled in areas north of all the known or historically accepted geographic areas of the Amhara peoples’ settlements recorded since time immemorial. These realities disqualify the assumption and the conventional wisdom that the Amharas descended from across the Red sea as migrants and they are Semitic. According to a “History World” publication titled “History of Ethiopia” by Gascoign, Bamber at www.historyworld.net pp.1-2
“The north is the area where the first rulers establish themselves, arriving from across the red sea. Comprising at times both Eritrea and Tigre, this province contains Aksum …’’
It is said that the Axumites introduced Christianity to the Amhara, but mind you their contact with the Amhara took place hundreds of years after their northern territory was settled by the Arabian migrants who then mixed with the indigenous population. Therefore, the Amharas in the south, unlike Axumites did not come directly into contact with those migrants from Arabia. This evidence strengthens the Cushitic beginnings of the Amhara. There are groups both in religious as well as intellectual circles who claim that the Amhara people and Amharic were playing a dominant role in Axum. But they need to support the claim, analysis and conclusion with science and tangible evidence. Because, the time when Christianity was introduced and declared as the official religion in Axum and then spread southwards to Amhara are believed have taken place at different moments. According to Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History of October 2002 by Emma George Ross:
“The adoption of Christianity in Ethiopia dates to the fourth century reign of the Axumite emperor Ezana …”
Some historians hold the view that Christianity was introduced in the ancient city, when emperor Bazin (Bazen) ruled Axum in the first century AD. Brendan Pringle’s article of December 19, 2015,“Ethiopia: The First Christian Nation?” mentioned:
“Before the Ethiopian king Ezana (whose kingdom was then called Aksum) embraced Christianity for himself and decreed it for his kingdom (c.330AD), his nation had already constituted a large number of Christians…”
For centuries, before Axumite marched south to Amhara and long before Christianity was spread & introduced, researchers found relics of similarly made stone artifacts upon which sacrifices were used to be made and offered to Pythons in a Gondar cave near Gorgora by lake Tana, and on the shore of lake Hayk in Wollo, that is, one in the east and the other in the west of proper Amhara. The clear structural striking resemblance of these archeological findings by researchers is a proof that the Amhara had developed their own way of organized communal living and characteristics before Christianity. As to when Christianity and the Amhara were introduced, since the idea of this paper is all about the Amhara Resistance, this article’s writer prefers for the moment, to abide by the information that is provided by the chronicles of Abune TekleHaymanot.
Over time, the changes in religion, exposure to the northerners, the various wars fought for survival as well as trade, Amharas got mixed with different ethnic groups of the country, and today the Amhara show evidence of traces of Hamitic and Semitic genes alongside their Cushitic base like most ethnic groups. Except very few Omotic and Nilo-Saharan groups neither the Tigryans, Oromos, Gurages, Agews, Sidama, Yem, nor Hadiya, Kembatta etc. can boast of purity as only Cushitic or Semitic. When it comes to the real science of genealogy, all of them are mixed stocks. For example: It is said most of the Oromos in Shewa have a strong Amhara blood in their genes and vice versa, despite OLF’s denial of historical facts. (There are credible evidences that the people of West, East and North Shewa in today’s Oromia are in fact Amharas assimilated by the Oromo)
As to the Axumites, the present regime of TPLF officially claim it was a civilization of only the Tigrians and not the rest of Ethiopia, since the history of Ethiopia began with Emperor Menilik a little over 100 years ago. Numerous interviews given by senior leaders of this party, at different times till today defend their position openly without hesitation. EBC (Ethiopian TV) documentaries, articles on regime controlled newspapers like ‘The Ethiopian Herald’, the Amharic daily ‘Addis Zemen’, ‘The Reporter’, Fana Broadcast, Walta Information etc. and their archives are available for reference.
According to Durame’s ‘Top 10 infamous Meles Zenawi Quotes’, (www.durame.com/2012/06), in a 1993 interview with the reporter, and in 1997 in a discussion with Donald Levine the former TPLF leader and Prime Minister said:
- ”Ethiopia is only 100 years old. Those who claims otherwise are indulging themselves in fairy tales.”
- ”The Tigreans had Axum, but what could that mean to the Gurague? The Agew had Lalibella, but what could that mean to the Oromo? The Gonderes had castles, but what could that mean to the wolaita?”
However, up to now not even single historic evidence is found linking the Axumite civilization only with the Tigryans as Meles claimed. No script in Tigrygna, the language of the Tigryans, was found in Axum’s obelisks and related relics. The Axumites at first used Sabean as a means of communication and most of what anyone can see from the structural remains are Sabean symbols and inscriptions. After they converted to Christianity, Geeze as an official language replaced Sabean. The Axumites, furthemore, with the advance of their fame and power, widely mixed with various ethnic groups of northern Ethiopia, like the Beja, the Beniamer, the Saho, Afar, other Agews, Tigre, Tigryan, Amhara, and even Nubians of Meroe, etc. and became a fused Ethiopian stock. As a result’ their history was and is Ethiopian as opposed to the unscientific propaganda of the TPLF.
An article on Ancient Origins, on 27 September, 2016, entitled ‘ Axum: Legendary Kingdom of Ancient Ethiopia ‘ stated clearly that:
”At its height, Axum controlled modern-day ethiopia, Eritrea, Sudan, Western Yemen, Southern SaudiArabia, and parts of Somalia. Although largely forgotten today, references to Ethiopians can be seen in such seminal works as the Bible, the Qur’an, the Iliad, and the Devine Comedy. Such wide acclaim reflects the power and influence once held by the powerful Axumite Empire.”
AMHARIC
The Amharic language, in accordance with the publication of “The National African Language Resource Center” of the University of Wisconsin- Madison, is much older than anyone thought, i.e.,
“The origins of the Amharic language are traced back to the 1st millennium BC.”
This shows that Amharic was a spoken language way before Geez was introduced to the highlands by the Christian monks & priests of the north in the sixth century AD. Just like the Amhara people, their language is described to have a Semitic beginning. Considering the Amhara to have a Cushitic base before mixing with various groups and over time became fused with Hamitic, Semitic and Cushitic stock, so is Amharic a manifestation of crisscrossing of different Semitic, and Cushitic languages that gives it a unique accent and expression with a touch of simplicity to communicate which got it to where it is today. Even the conventional wisdom that attaches Semitic identity to Amharic or its proponents so far failed to reach a common theory about the language’s origin. For example, according to Girma Awigchew Demeke’s ‘The Origin of Amharic’ that appeared on ‘Lincom Studies in AfroAsiatic Linguistics’, vol.28, 29, pp.356, 2009:
”There are basically two hypotheses on the origin of Amharic: it may be a descendent of a common Proto EthioSemitic language or it may have evolved as a Semitic-based pidgin, which became a creole and eventually developed into a full-fledged language.”
Step by step Amharic as the local means of communication began to adopt words and styles first from the various Agew dialects. This is so factual since the two population groups, i.e., the Amharas and Agews lived together in the same geographic locations for many thousands of years with intense inter marriage and cultural mix. For example when the Agew people ruled Ethiopia for about three centuries, i.e., 300 years, the Agew kings promoted and transformed Amharic into the language of their courts or administration. (Some Ethiopian elites claim Amharic was used as a means of communication by the kings military).
During the Zagwe era, Geez continued to be used widely especially by the Orthodox Church. The prominent role given to Amharic by the Zagwe leadership and by adopting countless words and style from Geeze, Amharic grew with an alphabet and numeric characters of its own that gave it an edge over others. After the Oromo expansion and migration to Amhara territories in the 2nd half of the 16th century, the Amharic language managed to blend with Oromo words enriching itself further. Apart from the above mentioned influences with some Hebrew touch, Amharic succeeded in becoming the most widely spoken language in Ethiopia. A CCTV article of 2014 explains Amharic as follows:
”Amharic which is the official language of Ethiopia has more than three thousand years of history. It is arguably the only African language which has its own letters and features. Although Ethiopia has more than 80 ethnic groups and hundreds of different languages, Amharic is still the most accepted and used language in the country’s history.”
FALSE CHRISTIAN ONLY IDENTITY
Another long standing myth that is widely mentioned is the mistaken Christian only identity that other Ethiopians and all foreigners stress when talking about Amharas. In reality, there are millions of Muslim Amharas in the four provinces of Gondar, Gojam, Wollo and Shewa. The Amhara Muslim community is believed to be more than thirteen hundred years old and share the same social values with the Amhara Orthodox community. Both the Christian and Muslim Amhara communities have been and are equally exposed to both domestic and external threats, massacres and related atrocities throughout their history. Both groups, i.e, Amhara Christians and Muslims without a doubt have the same psychological makeup and identity.
The two groups do not negotiate with anyone about the unity of Ethiopia and their flag, Green, Yellow, and Red emblem, that the former Prime Minister shamefully called ”It is just a piece of cloth”. This statement is well documented by the Ethiopian TV (EBC) and in the minds of each and every Ethiopian. Another separatist by the name Lencho Letta of OLF, commented disrespectfully against the National flag in a public meeting in Stockholm, organized by ‘Ethiopian national Movement’ in December 2016. He said:
”… as to the flag after the fall of the TPLF government, a new legal document or constitution reflecting the wish of all the people will decide. Why are you scared about the idea of changing the Bandira(flag)? Oh! Is it an Arabic word? Yes! But whether you like it or not the OLF flag will not be changed. It is and continues to be the symbol of the Oromo people, because they shed their blood for it.”
Ethiopians from all walks of life died for their flag and continue to do so. History recoded all the sacrifices they paid holding their Emblem (flag) high for freedom, independence, sovereignty, glory and unity. The victory of the battle of Adwa in 1896 against Italian colonialism, which is highly regarded all over Africa and beyond, is the best example that no one can deny. During this monumental battle all ethnic groups were represented Oromos included under the leadership of Emperor Menilik.
In fact the top Generals like Balcha Abanefso, Fitawrari Habtegiorgis (Menilik’s defence minister), etc. were Oromos. If the flag was not the peoples’ emblem Ethiopians could have suffered as slaves of a colonial master for a long time and lost their pride. I don’t think Lencho understands or cares about this historic fact.
Just to show that Muslim Amharas are equally exposed to persecution like the Christians, when the OLF and OPDO/TPLF tortured, brutally killed and forcibly evicted Amharas in mostly Muslim areas of Arsi, Bale and Jimma, Asossa and others, the Oromo butchers did not differentiate between the two groups at all. They simply massacred both Christian and Muslim alike showing their hatred of Amharas has/ knows no religious boundaries. This is ultimate hate and not hearsay that all Oromo politicians that work alongside the TPLF FASCIST regime and Oromo separatists share in common and preach to their constituencies the hate and anti Amhara rhetoric 24/7. Amhara resistance must therefore, incorporate both Christian and Muslim Amharas in order to expand and succeed. I raised this issue because most civic and political Amhara groups seems to rely mostly on Christian Amharas and need to work very hard to attract our Muslim brothers and sisters to enrich the struggle.
Forces of all kinds, that strongly challenge the Amhara from organizing have continued to cause havoc and mayhem using ‘money’ to buy undecided Amhara’s support to further destabilize the whole struggle of the Amhara resistance from gaining momentum. They also concentrate their propaganda work using a false premise, that if the Amhara achieve a strong political stance in the form of a party, the unity of Ethiopia is doomed. So, they are using this scare tactic and rumor mongering to disenfranchise the Amhara by instigating division between the two religious groups and achieve their goal of seizing power. But this is not going to happen. The Christian and Muslim Amhara have built a longstanding bond of brotherhood to the envy of their enemies. The writer also believes that these forces might come up with a bogus ‘Amhara organization’ to confuse the people. This as well is not going to be a surprise to the majority of Amharas.
MISCONCEPTION OF AMHARA DOMINATION
In addition to the above, there is an established misleading rhetoric or conception that the Amhara dominated and ruled over the rest of Ethiopia for many generations. (Most ethnocentric groups like the TPLF, OLF, others including Eritrea’s EPLF reduce Ethiopia’s over 3000 years of history to only a little over 100 years and claim that the Ethiopian state was established in 1889 by the Shewan Amhara kings in particular when emperor Menelik came to the throne). But in fact it was during Emperor AmdeTsione’s rule between 1314 and 1344 the Ethiopian state was shaped to look like the map that we all know before 1993 came about. (Before Eritrea became separated)
In the late 16th century and early 17th century, an orthodox priest Abba Bahrey who wrote about the carnage caused by the Oromo warriors expansion and invasion, was serving the Ethiopian King of the time, although he lived in southern Ethiopia. This means the king in the north was ruling southern Ethiopia. I can go on with countless facts to dispute the separatists’ artificial claims, but this is enough for now.
Most foreigners who are brain washed by colonial powers, as well as the above mentioned separatist elements’ elites’ artificially created and poisoned interpretations of history and relentless propaganda, underline the lie and myth of Amhara domination & control over the rest of the people whenever they write about Ethiopia. Attaching the Solomonic dynasty and the Ethiopian kings only with the concept of ‘Amhara domination’ is an absurd and ridiculous fiction with no intellectual and rational merit whatsoever.
At different times, Ethiopia was ruled by the Agew, Felasha, Hadiya, Tigre, Adal (Issa), Oromo, Amhara etc. kings, queens, and war lords. For example, the Zagwe kings, Queen Yodit (Gudit), Queen Eleni, Emperor Yohannes, even Ahmed Gragne himself who is not widely considered to have such a title, and many others. Facts on the ground however, speak otherwise. Almost all emperors who are mentioned and associated with the Amhara by such forces however, have a well-established multi ethnic background. A good example is that Emperor Menelik who is widely targeted by the various separatist elements and foreign writers is half Oromo and most of his loyal officials were not Amharas but Oromos. Emperor Menilik and his administration were mostly dominated by the Oromo elites of that particular period. Therefore, even by Menilik’s standards, Amhara domination was not there. ‘Amhara domination’ is nothing more than a distorted myth that continues to be loudly mentioned all over without being challenged about its authenticity. In this regard, the truth must come out. Therefore, I urge all Amhara and foreign intellectuals to conduct a research on this particular subject in order to expose the fiction and misleading picture created by TPLF, OLF, EPLF, and some brain washed foreigners who are somewhat forced to skip the facts for reasons not clear to explain.
After the fall of the Zagwe dynasty that left us the renown famous rock hewn churches of Lalibela, Yukuno Amlak who replaced the last Zagwe king is believed to be the first Amhara to climb to power. In real terms, his ascendancy to the throne as emperor by claiming that he descended from the Solomonic dynasty of the Axum line of kings makes it open for further study about his precise background.
Emperor Yukuno Amlak and the other monarchs that followed up to 1974 did not rule Ethiopia in the name of the Amhara people or give a priority to the Amhara in terms of political power, infrastructure & economic development and other related favors. This is not an empty rhetoric but an undeniable historical, physical and material fact that is visible on the ground. Following the official myth, infrastructures like paved roads, healthcare centers, schools, and safe drinking water facilities, etc. could have been available in the lands of the Amhara, but this is not the case. The standard of living of the Amhara stands at the bottom compared to any other ethnic group in Ethiopia. For more information refer to publications of the Ethiopian central statistics office that clearly support this argument. Even Aljazeera network in its documentary about the issue of Trachoma in the Amhara region openly commented that: “The Amhara region is the poorest in Africa.” (I quoted Aljazeera in my 2014 article published on ECADF).
Therefore, claims of Amhara Hegemony and Domination propagated and contemplated by the TPLF, OLF, EPLF etc. are pure fiction. The never ending fiction of Amhara domination is clearly stated by quoting Christopher Clapham who intelligently & convincingly explains in the book ‘The Rising Tide of Cultural Pluralism, The Nation State at Bay’ edited by Crawford Young as follows:
”… the Ethiopian central government far from being the Amhara preserve, as the mythology of the opposition movements claims, readily provides positions of power for Oromos, Gurages, Aderes, Wolayittas, or Kambattas…. Some non Amharas rose to positions of prominence and power both before and after the revolution of 1974… Therefore, the system is not ethnically exclusive and considers the cries of the opposition that they have been dominated by the Amhara to be just a stick with which to beat the regime.”
ATROCITIES AGAINST AMHARA FROM 10th to 21st CENTURY GENERAL DESCRIPTION
The history of the Amhara is characterized by invasions and worst destructions committed against its population from the north, east, west and south by forces that usurped Amhara’s ancestral lands & assimilated the vanquished Amhara at different moments. There are many examples; the carnage of Queen Yodit (Gudit) left a lasting & prominent scar inside Amhara. She burnt and destroyed monasteries and any structure standing on her way with rage. If it wasn’t for her cruel tenth century genocide and destructions, those old relics could have been testimonies to the humble Amhara and their civilization.
In the 16th century the Adal war lord popularly known as Ahmed Grange, with Ottoman Turks push and support carried out jihadist invasions and destroyed whatever was left of the Christian Amhara after the destruction of Yodit’s atrocities. Grange Ahmed’s Islamist war against Amhara left feudal lords and kings of that moment weak and defenseless. (I mentioned about this in a number of my articles). As a result, the various Oromo Lubas carried out successive moves into Amhara lands. The relentless, opportunistic and ”predatory” acts of invasions during the second half of the 16th and 17th centuries by the Oromo resulted in their forced settlements on traditional and historic Amhara territories. The Oromo invasions left hundreds of thousands of Amhara people killed & the rest in particular child bearing Amhara women and small children mostly girls were assimilated. The boys just like grown men were mutilated massacred and their organs were severed and taken as trophies. The Amhara people lost thousands of young and adult men whose male organs were cut or mutilated.
Nowadays in the country, Oromo elders or Gedas as they are called openly wear on their foreheads a replica of a male reproductive organ during traditional or cultural ceremonies, proving beyond reasonable doubt that Oromos never gave up their obsession of displaying in public a mutilated male organ as a trophy of victory. But OLF by twisting evidence that any Ethiopian or foreigner can see, wrongfully level Amharas as the mutilators instead. This is more than fiction and every Amhara must officially expose the atrocities the Oromo invaders carried out against the male population of Shewa & Bete Amhara, etc. There is a saying in Amharic, ‘ጅራፍ ራሱ ገርፎ ራሱ ይጮሀል‘ i.e, ‘A whip makes a jittery cry after flogging ‘. In other words ‘The victimizer is accusing the victim’. This is what Oromo activists are doing in their relentless false propaganda.
For a detailed and precise nature of Oromos predatory invasions and atrocities of the above mentioned era, read the eye witness accounts of Abba Bahrey’s ‘Zenahu Le Galla’ that narrates in detail the Oromo invasion originally written in Geeze script during the end of the 16th century. The late professor Alem Eshete translated this monumental work into the Amharic language. Other Ethiopian and foreign elites as well translated it into various languages and it is available in most libraries around the world.
Amhara also lost huge territory now occupied by Oromo settlers and OLF has made plans to officially invade and territorially expand at the expense of the rest of Shewa and Wollo, Gojam and even Gondar just like the Tigryans have done in north Gondar and Wollo when they seized power in 1991. OLF plans to incorporate Metekel (Metekel is part of Gojam, Amhara) and give Gondar’s land bordering the Sudan to Benishangul. In fact, both OLF and TPLF have the same agenda in dismantling and wiping out Amhara from world geography. Simply by referring to their dream maps of these fascists, anyone can see their devastating future plans for Amhara.
Enough is enough! No more silence! The Amharas therefore, without hesitation need to hurry and set up a defensive mechanism before it is too late to save themselves. Every able-bodied Amhara from now on must openly expose the various anti-Amhara dogmatic ideologies, propaganda and their destructive goals by fighting them to the end. Amharas must teach their children about all this, instead of sticking to the old attitude and passive silence that time & again continue to bring one cruel misery after another! Amharas must unconditionally adopt the new and active philosophy of pro-Amhara resistance mentality.
This approach should be nonnegotiable. Amhara political activists, civic and pseudo-political organizations must start openly talking about the lost Amhara territories which are now settled by the Oromos and Tigres and challenge OLF and TPLF about the myth & fiction they created about ‘Oromia’ and so-called greater Tigray, with tangible facts and figures of history, etc. Amharas must remove and trash the mask that covers their entire self-consciousness and absolutely stop being diplomatic for the sake of their very survival. In order to refresh the need for attitude change of every Amhara, the writer of this article presents quotations from ‘Treasures in the Family Tree: Some Notes in Ethnic Interactions in Ethiopian History’ by Alessandro Triulzi a scholar who produced a number of works about the Oromo.
“The vast plateau of Shoa in the center of the present Oromia region contained many Amharic speakers. This used to be the center of the Shoan Amhara kings (not talking about highland Bulga, Menz and Minjar). Debre Libanos- the most important monastery in Ethiopia, and the location where Gran burned 400 monks is located here. Clearly many Amhara were assimilated into the Oromo ethnic group here… Who were the original inhabitants of Wellega prior to the Oromo conquest? Some people note the remains of a 15th century palace attributed to Zera Yakob (Jibat Forest), and refer to maps showing the historical region of Damot used to be located here.”
Those Amharas of different denominations who are against the need for an Amhara to organize and defend itself, please refer to the OLF map that proves the hateful, predatory, genocidal and expansionist agenda that the Oromo ultra-nationalists adopted at the expense of the Amhara just like their forefathers of the 16th century.
From the west, in the 19th century, the Mahdi or the Dervish of the Sudan repeatedly invaded and destroyed various villages in Gondar. If not for such invasions, Gondar could have been one of the very few well preserved and spectacular castle towns in the world. Italy’s invasion of Ethiopia during the Second World War was another devastating incident that engulfed the Amhara with a cruel torching fire. Although, the Italians return during the Second World War was to colonize the country, their sinister and ruthless military actions brought about the genocide of hundreds of thousands of Amhara victims and the total destruction of Shewa (a historic Amhara province). This proved Italy’s hatred of the Amhara. They brought horror to avenge their defeat in the late 1890’s by the famous emperor Menilik at the battle of Adwa. Italy like present day enemies of the Amhara blindly associated the role of the heroic emperor Menilik only with the Amhara people despite his Oromo and Amhara background which they knew very well. But make no mistake: All Amhara people and Ethiopians are proud of Emperor Menelik and his legacy, except all separatist groups that are planning to dismember the country.
The Italians, who lost the 1896 war at Adwa, returned after 40 years under Duce Mussolini’s fascist leadership and invaded Ethiopia in 1935 to avenge their loss and satisfy their long dream of colonizing the country. As a result the Italians massacred numerous Amharas by using heavy fire power, executed thousands by hanging, using the outlawed Napalm bomb, also burnt and destroyed all palaces and monasteries built by the people and emperors of Shewan Amhara in Ankober, Angolela, Menz, Tegulet etc. during the 5 years of terror they imposed upon the Amhara. The scars of Italian destruction are still visible today on the ground in the above mentioned areas of Shewa.
Between 1974 and 1991, the military regime carried out surgical and targeted executions in all Amhara provinces. At the beginning when it declared its ‘Land to the tiller’ proclamation, prominent Amharas who were blacklisted as feudal lords were one by one extrajudicial executed all over Ethiopia. In the former Harerghe province, the military officials forcefully disarmed Amharas by accusing them of chauvinism and branding them as ‘Neftegnas’ and used the local militia that it formulated and armed to kill them in cold blood. Amhara students identified with the opposition groups of that moment were mercilessly eliminated during the famous RED TERROR campaign. Thousands of mothers and wives who lost their children and husbands are still broken with sorrow and have not yet recovered. Today everywhere you go in Ethiopia, mostly in Gondar and Shewa the loss of loved ones and the deep grief of their families still reverberate around.
TPLF HATRED OF AMHARA
Now the most concealed and systematic terror and genocide condoned and sanctioned by a domestic born regime against the Amhara is in full swing since 1991 unabated. The past 25 years transformed Ethiopia in a tumultuous and complicated way into a living hell for each and every Amhara. The TPLF junta of Ethiopia has identified the Amhara as the number one enemy of the Tigryan people that must be dealt with harshly until it gets into the status of a dissipated, broken and weak, minority that won’t recover to pose any challenge to a future independent greater Tigryan state.
This very genocidal hatred against the Amhara is officially stated by the TPLF manifesto of 1978. Since that moment on, the Woyane Tigryan ethno centric junta opened an all-out war against the history, culture, tradition, language, political and economic wellbeing and the very existence of the Amhara people. These facts alone make the quest for Amhara resistance and the need for organization an unavoidable necessity for the very survival of the Amhara.
TPLF’s official hatred to the Amhara began way before Tigryan activists were in their earlier stages of beginning an armed struggle. This fact is well explained by one of those activists who at one time was TPLF’s chief financial officer and now lives in Australia as a refugee by the name Gebremedhin Araya. He said on 12/31/2011 during an interview on ESAT:
”… ትግራይ ነፃ አገር የነበረች ሉዓላዊነትዋ ተከብራ በነፃ ትኖር የነበረች አገር በአፄ ሚኒሊክ ተወራ የአማራው ቅኝ አገዛዝ ሆነች። ትግራይ የአማራ ቅኝ ግዛት ነች። ፓምፍሌቱም አለ እዚህ በደንብ አድርጎ ሊያስረዳን ይችላል። ይሄ የወያኔ ማኒፌስቶ ነው። ዋናው ሕገ ደንብ ነው… ስለዚህ ትግራይ ከአማራው ቅኝ ገዢ እጅ አስወጥተን የትግራይን ዲሞክራቲክ ሪፓብሊክ መንግስት መመስረት አለብን የሚል ነው (ሁለተኛ) ። ሶስተኛ አማራ የሚባል የትግራይ ሕዝብ ጠላት ነው። ጠላት ብቻ ሳይሆን የትግራይ ሕዝብ ጠላት ጠላት ነው። ስለዚህ አማራን መምታት ፤ ማጥፋት ፤ አለብን። አማራ ካልጠፋ ፤ አማራ ካልተደበደበ ከዚህ መሬት ካልተነቀለ ትግራይ በነፃ ልትኖር አትችልም። ለምንፈጥረውም መንግስት እንቅፋት የሚሆንብን አማራ ነው የሚል ነበር።”
The close English translation of the above is as follows:
”… Tigray was a sovereign and independent country. After Emperor Menelik’s invasion, Tigray became an Amhara colony. I have with me a TPLF pamphlet that clearly explains the Amhara hatred. This is the main principle of the Woyane(TPLF) manifesto which says, therefore, we must free Tigray from Amhara colonialism and establish the Government of an independent Tigray Democratic Republic. Amhara is the enemy of the people of Tigray. Amhara is Tigray’s enemies’ enemy. Therefore, we must hit Amhara hard and destroy it. If Amhara is not hit hard, eliminated and uprooted, Tigray will not (cannot) exist as an independent entity. Amhara is an impediment of the Government that we envisage to establish.”
When the Woyane (TPLF) set up a transitional government in 1991 and later catapulted to head an ethnic based federal arrangement, the only people not represented in the conference were the Amhara. The former leader of the Woyane and prime minister of Ethiopia said during an ETV (EBC) interview: “No one came to us and requested to participate in the conference as a representative of the Amhara.” But in reality, the same person and his political organization TPLF managed to pick anti-Amhara individuals from most of Ethiopia’s ethnic groups and let them form ethnocentric parties as its allies to represent the interests of their respective constituencies during the meeting that resulted in the creation of the present Apartheid like regional states.
Between 1991 and 1995 the TPLF junta ruled the country as head of the transitional regime with a martial law called the TRANSITIONAL CHARTER that curtailed human and democratic rights in favor of Tigryan domination. By applying the charter, hundreds of thousands of Amhara became targets and were politically purged from the civil service and the military. Thousands or even millions of these Amharas and their families were forced to be destitute and homeless. Others were arbitrarily arrested and killed after being severely tortured. Between the establishment of the transitional government and the declaration of a federal state in 1995 the TPLF leadership practically applied its MANIFESTO. TPLF architects proudly mention this particular time of cleansing the civil and military services from Amharas as a very critical political measure in terms of consolidating power for Tigryan hegemony.
After the fall of the military government, the Amhara were not allowed to take part in the 1991 meeting of the rest of Ethiopia’s ethnic groups that resulted in a transitional government. The unrepresented Amhara people lost huge territories to Tigray in the north, to the newly set up Beni Shangul state in the west, to the Oromia region in the south and to Afar in the east. ANDM/TPLF that is imposed upon the Amharas by the Tigryan junta was EPDM whose leadership and members were and are mostly Tigryans, Oromos and from other ethnic groups. ANDM has neither an Amhara affiliation nor interest what so ever. It is a kind of colonial administration that is imposed upon the Amhara by force.
The predominantly Amhara lands like the fertile districts of Humera, Welkait, Tsegede, Tselemt, Ofla, Inda mahony, Raya and Alamata were forcibly annexed by Tigray and the TPLF authorities. Following which they settled more than six hundred thousand Tigryans from its arid lands to the fertile lands of Amhara by forcibly uprooting and evicting the indigenous Amharas. The regime, in order to destroy the will of the Amhara people, ordered its plant (ANDM/TPLF) and the other politically powerless regional states leaderships of the so called federation to cleanse their respective states from all Amhara settlers or wipe out Amharas from their midst by all means available. (In all of my Amharic and English articles I exposed this crime).
AMHARA GENOCIDE
As a result it is now an accepted fact that about 5 million Amharas were killed during the twenty five years in the country since the present regime came to the center of power. These Amhara killings are no doubt clearly tantamount to GENOCIDE. A number of publications in the form of books are now emerging revealing the quietly taken and hidden crimes committed against the Amhara by the ruling junta and its satellites with evidence, eg. ምፅዓተ ዐማራ ‘Amhara Genocide’ & የጥፋት ዘመን ‘The Era of Destruction’.
I highly recommend to foreigners and Ethiopians alike to read these informative books to have an understanding of the horrific crimes against humanity that continue to take place in Ethiopia against the Amhara people. I also strongly urge the 2 authors, Moresh Wegenie Amhara Organization and journalist Muluken Tesfaw to make available an easy-to-read summarized format in English in order for the international community to have a firsthand information on the subject of this very smartly camouflaged terrible genocide in Ethiopia carried out against the Amhara by the Tigryans and other ethnocentric groups. All Amhara activists must contact the UN, EU, and the US, and all other influential governments that blindly support the TPLF regime by introducing and presenting these books. The genocide against the Amhara people needs to come to the attention of the world, without which it will be an uphill and arduous battle for the Amhara to avert the devilish situation alone.
Foreign governments, international organizations and media give great attention and wide coverage to the Oromo, Gambella, and the Ogaden. Has any Amhara asked why the suffering of the Amhara is not taken into account? It is very clear that less attention is given to the plight of the Amhara by the majority of Amhara intellectuals who are watching the genocide by sitting on side lines. But now the young Amharas have openly become strong activists and started to be more practical in their resolve in openly publicizing and talking about Amhara genocide in social media. The uprising of the Welkaite Amhara identity issue as well as the revolts that followed in Gondar and Gojam, etc. is now international public news. Amhara activists must capitalize on this golden and wide open opportunity to further their diplomatic work in order to expose and begin the process of holding the TPLF and OLF cadres legally responsible for the genocide against the Amhara.
ETHNIC CLEANSING OF THE AMHARA BY OLF AND OPDO (Oromo Peoples’ Democratic Org.)
All Oromo nationalist groups and their vocal activists in common spread relentlessly an all-out propaganda war against the history, culture, language and psychological makeup of the Amhara people. The above mentioned organizations openly committed and continue to carry out ethnic cleansing in the form of forced evictions, forced robbery of properties, and massacres against the Amhara who lived and are living for thousands of years in today’s TPLF created Oromia regional state since 1991. The OLF was a TPLF partner between 1991 and early 1993 in the Transitional government holding four ministerial posts and with a share of large number of ambassadorial positions Diplomatic missions abroad. Before the TPLF created OPDO became visibly favorable to the Tigryan junta, OLF enjoyed political, security and economic administration as leader of Oromo state. This short lived advantage was due to OLF’s close ties with the EPLF of Eritrea and TPLF during the war with Dergue or the military regime. Still the headquarter of this group is in Asmara, capital of Eritrea.
In its 1993 World Report, Human Rights Watch, on page 8 of ‘ Africa Watch ‘ section printed the following:
” In December 1991, OLF cadres instigated repeated attacks on Amhara settlers. Villages were burned and civilians were killed. One hundred fifty-four Christians mainly Amhara, were killed in Arba Gugu, and a further 46 were murdered in a neighboring area of Harerghe. In July and August 1992, another round of attacks were launched, allegedly at the instigation of a senior OPDO cadre. Harrerghe province in the east of the country was the site of other fierce clashes. At Bedeno in mid-April, 150 civilians were reported killed, many of them by being forced to jump of cliffs. Most of those killed were ethnic Amhara. A commission of inquiry into the incident established by the Council of Representatives, the Ethiopians parliament, put the blame squarely on the OLF. While admitting that its supporters were responsible for the massacre, the OLF denied institutional responsibility.”
On different forums that the OLF itself organized in Europe and North America over the years, during a number of interviews the OLF leaders in charge of their organization’s conduct as a key
member of the Transitional Government of Ethiopia, and even today some of those well-known OLF leaders who joined Ginbot 7’s coalition still defy public opinion and reject involvement in the killings and atrocities and deny any fact finding mission took place about the Human Rights Watch reported ethnic cleansing of the Amhara. For example, Dima Negeo, former minister of information during the Transitional period and ex OLF leader in order to hide the facts and clear himself from any future legal responsibility, lied and blamed OPDO for the crimes and denied also that any inquiry took place, during an interview with ESAT. The full interview is uploaded on YouTube by ‘Bete Mera’ on September 20, 2011. During this interview Dima said:
“The OLF choose 4 ministerial posts, i.e. agriculture, education, trade and information with the purpose of directly reaching our people and explain our position …”
This self-admission clearly indicate that Dima used the media under his command to instigate hatred that resulted in the various hate crimes that took place in the Oromo dominated Arsi, southern Showa, Welega, provinces as well as Jimma, Asossa etc.
Dima Negeo, as information minister of the transitional government was the chief architect of the vicious anti Amhara propaganda that was launched by the Ethiopian TV and Radio, as well as the English daily Ethiopian Herald, the Amharic daily Addis Zemen and the Oromo language newspapers Berissa. At that time the National Radio service which was transmitting programs in the Afar and Somali languages were used to spread hate against the Amhara. On the contrary Dima’s controlled media not even once mentioned about the atrocities committed against the Amhara during news hours or documentary features and articles between 1991 and 1992.
Another OLF former leader Lencho Letta who like Dima joined the above mentioned coalition, in a December 2016 fund raising held in Stockholm, sitting next to Berhanu Nega leader of Ginbot7 without mentioning Amhara victims, and by referring to the words ‘other people’ openly and with no regrets said:
” When the incident took place in Arba Gugu, OLF was not present in the Arba Gugu area, the Oromo group working with the present regime was in charge. For more than 20 years this allegation continues accusing the OLF. Although, presently, I cannot speak on its behalf, since I was a senior leader at that time, I know that OLF was not responsible. Say an inquiry needs to be held, who is going to be in it? How is it going to be conducted? Do we know that the killings even took place at all? ”
This criminal OLF founding member and former leader is in self-denial. Such inhuman cruelty took place when he was in charge of all the OLF delegation that worked side by side with the TPLF at that particular time. He lacks the credibility and moral value to challenge the conclusion of the inquiry and the report of Human Rights Watch mentioned above.
Between 1991 and 1993 alone hundreds of thousands of Amharas were evicted, massacred and their personal belongings were confiscated throughout the Oromo region by OLF and OPDO anti Amhara pressures. In all the incidents, despite the legal obligation of the regime to protect its citizens from such open atrocities, the TPLF has done nothing either to stop the killings and evictions, but also did not hold responsible the perpetrators. As I mentioned repeatedly in this paper, the Tigryan junta was and is behind the ethnic cleansing based on its political directives that officially singled out the Amhara as the enemy of the aspirations of the Tigray pepole.
At the time of the transitional period, the late professor Asrat woldeyes, leader of the now defunct AAPO (All Amhara Pepole’s Organization) attempted to defend Amharas exposed to the unfortunate situation, by seeking legal protection from the regime without success. The frustration of the organization is well explained in its official letter’s plea written to the council of representatives of the Transitional Government on June 8, 1992. It reads:
‘‘ While the Amhara pepole … who work and live peacefully in all the regions of Ethiopia, are not represented in the council, there can hardly be any argument that all as well as the groups represented have a legal and moral obligation the human rights of all groups. The All-Amhara Pepole’s Organization, true to this spirit, had in its letter dated Tir 30 1984 (January 8, 1992), brought to the attention of His Excellency Ato Meles Zenawi, the atrocities committed, and being committed against the Amhara residents of Arba Gugu Awraja (Arsi province) Rather than taking steps to bring to a halt these mass killings, the Government’s response has been to disarm the Amharas. This is not surprising as the atrocities and killings are being led by representatives of the Transitional Government itself. These government officials have prevented the Amharas from fleeing the areas where they are being persecuted; they have had their dwellings encircled, and after boasting ‘that the bones and blood of the Amhara will fertilize the soil’, have drawn up programs for daily massacres. As a result the Amhara people, including children pregnant women, and the elderly, are being slaughtered daily. Individuals who have managed to escape from these heinous crimes have come to our offices to appeal for help. They have confirmed to us that the killings have taken a grim intensity since Gnbot 26, 1984 (June,4, 1992 ), with the bodies of the dead being thrown into gorges or burnt in their dwellings.”
For the villages, areas and the time of such horrific genocide that took place at that particular moment and still being carried out in the Oromo region refer to the 1993 Human Rights watch Report, AAPO’s documents dated June 8,1992 and September, 17, 1992, the two books mentioned in this article ,i.e. ምፅዓተ አማራ ‘ Amhara Genocide ‘ and የጥፋት ዘመን ‘ The Era of Destruction’. The 2 books also displayed in detail other well documented ethnic cleansing of the Amhara that were and are taking place in Guraferda, Benishangul, Gambela, Welkait, etc.between 1992 and 2016. In short, this evidence is a wakeup call, a warning and an echo of the genocide victims and a very convincing reason whyAmharas need to be alert by organizing and defending themselves no matter what from an OLF future genocide looming over every Amhara becomes a reality. There is a saying that all Amharas must keep in their hearts, i.e. ” If you full me once, it’s on you. If you full me twice it’s on me.”
CENSUS 2007
The former director of the Central Statistics Office admitted before members of the TPLF/EPRDF controlled puppet parliament in 2007 that the national census was off by 2.5 million people, and she said, (this is public record & can be found from the 2007 census report)
“I think the shortage or discrepancy is associated with the Amhara population count that failed to meet the projected goal of 19.5 million by 2.5 million less population figures…”
Such an admission by an Oromo senior member of the regime, who now represents the TPLF/ EPRDF as its ambassador to Senegal, is an indication of a systematic policy in action to contain and reduce the Amhara population from growth. The 2007 census of Ethiopia according to its 117 pages report, the total coast of the project was close to seventy four million American dollars. All this money is wasted on a false conclusion that the TPLF Fascists statistic bureau released in the end. Regarding the shortage of Amhara state’s projected population count, the report in black and white acknowledged that:
“CSA’s experts working with national and international consultants … looked into the possible reasons for the difference between the counted and projected population figures of the Amhara region… the conclusion reached was that there was no need for re-enumeration and adjustment of the results of the 2007 census of the Amhara region.”
(CSA in the quotation refers to Central Statistics Agency)
The TPLF regime didn’t even bother to reexamine the fallacies of the census. This shows that Amharas were and are victims of official ethnic cleansing carried out by authorities of the federal government and officials of regional states. So far no western country that claim to be champion of democracy and human rights officially exposed the genocide. Sadly, they also continue to funnel financial, military and diplomatic assistance to the criminal TPLF regime of Ethiopia.
With regard official TPLF policy to misrepresent the 2007 population census and target the Amhara as the only community in Ethiopia that recorded the lowest birth rate and highest death rate, Berhanu Abegaz professor of Economics at College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, wrote an article entitled ‘ Ethiopia: Three million Amara missing?: An Analysis based on the 1994 and the 2007 Ethiopian Population Censuses’, Nazreth.com, March 24, 2015:
” Deliberate miscounting and undercounting: the various manifestos of the ruling Tigray Pepole’s Liberation Movement (TPLF) are full of strident attacks on the Amaras…. The Amara have been singled out for collective punishment in myriad forms including lackluster Federal budgetray allocations for basic public services for basic public services ( such as roads, education and health )… Tens of thousands of Amara, historically dispersed in all administrative regions of Ethiopia have been subjected to unprovoked violence, mass murder, dispossession, daily intimidation, and ethnic cleansing, from districts where they lived for generations. It is therefore, entirely probable that a deliberate policy of census undercounting has been deployed as an effective tool for shortchanging the Amara in the current system of Federal revenue sharing which is based on population size and need.”
PART TWO
STATE AGENCIES & AMHARA GENOCIDE
Although, the Woyane junta uses a number of governmental offices, the eight most important organs that carry out its sinister objective of depopulating the Amhara ethnic group into an insignificant minority are:-
The so called EBC or Ethiopian Broadcasting Corporation,
The Federal Police,
The Ministry of Federation Affairs,
The Ministry of Education,
The Federation Council,
The Ministry of Public Health,
The Special Federal Support Board, (that won’t be discussed in this paper since I touched its role in my article, published by Zehabesha, on June 30/ 2014)
The Bureau of Intelligence and Internal Security,
After 2 years of observing the anti Amhara campaign, I raised from 4 to 8 the government offices that are directly used as instruments to persecute the Amhara population. But make no mistake, all federal offices and regional bureaus have their role to play no matter how big and small against the wellbeing and safety of the Amhara people. The regime rules the Amhara people under the October, 2016 state of emergency, but in reality the TPLF has been oppressing the people of Amhara with an iron fist of extreme cruelty beyond belief by an unofficially declared martial law since 1991. As I said before, Ethiopia nowadays is a living hell for Amharas. On 12/22/2016 the British newspaper, ‘The Guardian’ quoting an Amhara in Gondar wrote:
“We don’t feel like it is our country. We feel like it is the time when the Italians invaded. We are like second class citizens, says a prosperous local businessman. Like all interviews, he requested anonymity due to fear of reprisals from the authorities.”
1 EBC (Ethiopian Broadcasting Corporation)
EBC is the official media organ that disseminates TPLF/EPRDF propaganda on a 24/7 basis. It also coordinates regional TV, radio broadcasts, newspapers and magazines within the TPLF manifesto’s political, economic and security stance. On this so called national TV and its radio stations, news analysis and documentary features target the Amhara for hate and revenge by wrongfully identifying Amhara as the only responsible party in the subjugation of all nations and nationalities of Ethiopia for over 100 years under the so called ‘Amhara domination’. EBC is the main Tigryan Fascists voice that loudly and relentlessly without second thought echoes an all-out distorted propaganda. ETV (EBC) men and women reporters, mostly Tigryans, attach the demeaning words like chauvinist, nationalist & and hold over of the previous oppressive monarchies and military regimes to the Amhara.
This Woyane organized tool of propaganda has incited and continues to incite hate crimes against the Amhara throughout the country. From top to bottom the leadership of this mafia media organ is controlled by Tigryan TPLF trusted members. By blocking world media and the internet, forced closure of independent media and charging their journalists using the ATP of 2009 or the Anti-Terrorism Proclamation, EBC’s false information managed to have an unchallenged and dominant role in the country. EBC alongside regional and TPLF led and financially supported medias like Walta and Fana, the Reporter etc., spread irresponsibly the myth, mistaken, artificial, vengeful and distorted identity about the Amhara people in all domestic and key international languages to break the will and spirit of the people of Amhara.
In the 25 years of the TPLF heavy handed rule, it has not even once mentioned in its news dispatches and analysis about the plight, massacres or the illegal and inhuman evictions of innocent Amharas from every regional state. But during the Amhara uprising in Gondar, four months ago, it was featuring a wrong as well as inciting propaganda as if the Tigryans were targeted. In fact, not a single Tigryan life was lost, despite the EBC and so called federal government irresponsible and fiasco fanfare about the purposefully orchestrated fiction of ethnic violence. In short, EBC has no credibility whatsoever, since its news reports are mostly biased, false and detached from professional ethics.
- Federal Police
Almost everyone in the Amhara community forcibly evicted from the Apartheid like states since 1992 testifies and still accuses this most hated security and killing machine of the Woyane TPLF regime directly taking part alongside local or tribal civil and security administrations officials and militias in facilitating the ongoing horrific and illegal deportations process against the Amhara. Just like all offices it is run by loyal TPLF insiders. For more than 22 years, it was run by two Tigryan members of the TPLF named Hasen Shifa who is now minister of state at the ministry of Federation Affairs, and Workeneh Gebeyehu who is now minister of Foreign Affairs. (The latter is given a fake Oromo identity). These individuals personally led and coordinated almost all racially motivated massacres and illegal evictions of Amharas from all over the country since the Woyane officially allowed regional states to create Amhara free ethnic zones. In the Amhara region the security details of all ANDM/TPLF officials and regional administrative offices are protected by the Federal Police. There are more Federal Police stations and a large contingent of heavily armed “officers” who can do anything they want in Amhara than other regional states. This is the most hated government terror spreading security apparatus in the state, due to its ruthless and cruel tactics. For example an “officer” of this force gunned down in cold blood 14 innocent people within 30 minutes in the city of Bahirdar with the powerless Amhara police watching without taking measures to stop the massacre, 2 years ago.
This TPLF Tigryan run and fully controlled force is above the law and the Bahirdar incident shows how powerful and untouchable it is. During the July, August, September and October 2016 uprising of the Amhara, brutal force was used and hundreds of Amhara youth were extrajudicial and inhumanly executed by live ammunitions fired by the federal police among other security forces throughout western Amhara. Some Amhara youth who voiced their concern about the Welkaite Amhara Identity issue were also gunned down in the east. Amnesty International called these actions “equal to extrajudicial killings” that need to be probed internationally. Even as we speak, the Federal Police and the TPLF army are killing and incarcerating thousands of youth all over Amhara under the so called power given to them by the state of emergency.
- Ministry of Federation Affairs
In this organ the TPLF formulated a special task force overlooking Amhara mass deportations under the leadership of its loyal cadre by the name Shanko Dessalegne. The task force studies all Amhara settlements in every region and gives training and guidance to carry out surgical Amhara evictions. In the twenty five years of its existence, the ministry kept quiet about the atrocities committed against the Amhara. Dr. Shiferaw T/mariam who is now minister of Education led the sinister TPLF anti Amhara campaign as head of this ministry for nineteen and a half years. Dr. Shiferaw should be held accountable for the millions of Amharas ethnic cleansed from Wollo, Gondar, Arbagugu, Water, Hirna, Asebe Teferi, Ambo, Kelem and Gimbi, Asebot Gedam, Koffele, Jimma, Asosa, Metekel, Kemashi, the famous GuraFerda, Mezhenger, Bale, Chifra, Bedeno etc, and, when the time comes, he should be brought to justice alongside the local officials who carried out the atrocities on the ground.
Now Kassa T/Berhan, a Tigryan senior leader of ANDM/TPLF, is in charge of the ministry. As the staunchest opponent of the Welkait Amhara Identity Question and supporter of Tigray state, he will give the final touch to TPLF’s plan in dismantling Amhara’s territory piece by piece. This individual, who was imposed upon the Amhara as a leader by the Tigryan fascists, time and again proved by speeches, interviews, and comments his hate and disrespect to the Amhara people in a disgusting manner. In the 25 years of TPLF rule, this man’s actions were and are absolutely foreign and devastating to the wellbeing of Amhara. (Refer to my 2014 article on ECADF)
- Ministry of Education
It prepares teaching curriculums that denigrate the role of the Amhara in Ethiopian history. This way the TPLF leaders manipulate the mindset of the young generation and prepare them to hate and discredit the people of Amhara lineage. Suffice to say, the psychological makeup of youngsters born, educated and grown up under the Woyane in various localities view the Amharas as some kind of monster and most of them don’t even want to speak Amharic despite the fact that Amharic is still the language of administration in Ethiopia.
In the 2016 academic year, more than 65 percent of Amhara students between the ages of 16 and 20 failed the national 10th grade certificate examination. As to 12th graders, only 35 percent got passing results for university admissions. This fact in a huge way shows the TPLF’s resolve to limit the quantity and quality of future Amhara intellectual capacity. The head of the national 10th and 12th grade testing as well as grading institute is a senior member of the TPLF since 1995. (Due to this very reason Amhara students test results purposely continue to be tarnished).
In addition, in all regional states children are educated with their own mother tongue except for Amharas who are not allowed to do so in the Amhara territories illegally incorporated to other states. Case in point, the TPLF harshly punish any Amhara that raises the language issue in the occupied Amhara lands of Welkait, Tsegede, Tselemt, Humera, Alamata, Raya and Ofla and forces Amhara kids to study only in Tigrigna.(Amharic is banned in these districts).
This Woyane’s oppressive and anti Amhara education system is set in motion or practically applied by the ministry of education. (This policy was promoted to reach its peak by Dr, Genet Zewde and Mr. Demeke Mekonen, the two leaders of ANDM/TPLF, the latter is the deputy prime minister at the moment, and by Shiferaw Shigute who is now removed from his post and made headquarter chief officer of EPRDF. This man is also associated with the Gura ferda deportations of Amharas. All 3 TPLF cadres are personally responsible for all atrocities committed against the Amhara by the regime.
Apart from purposely producing a large number of Amhara failing students at the 10th and 12th grades, the ministry of Education makes sure that Amharas illiteracy rate is kept at the maximum. Half of all men in Amhara don’t read and write. The Central Statistics Agency of Ethiopia in its 2011 report confirmed that:
“Among regions, the proportion of females and males with no education … in … Amhara for men (47 percent)”
- Federation Council
This structure is part of the National Shengo or parliament fully controlled by the TPLF and it’s so called allies. One of its duties is to prepare and allocate annual budgets to all regional states. The head of the budget committee since 1995, year after year has been the president of the Tigray state that contributes less than 6% of Ethiopia’s GDP. TPLF devised a skillful policy that states “Special budget for war ridden Tigray” must be allocated. Although the council calculates the budget, it is the council of ministers that makes the final decision; the Ethiopian people are not informed of such arrangements. According to a 2007 study financed by the EU and Canada, conducted by the DFC (an independent consulting firm based in Barcelona, Spain working closely with the EU)
“The budget and finance standing committee carries out a review of the recommended budget. There is no evidence of existing written procedures for the review … supplementary budget (or-in year budget amendment) can be authorized by the House of Peoples’ representatives on the recommendation of the council of ministers. The rules that allow such amendments are rudimentary.”
The federal government controlled by the TPLF therefore continues to add more money in the form of subsidies as it pleases favoring Tigray. Remind you, Tigray has a total population of about 6 million. But let us not forget that most of the wars that decided the military regime’s fall were fought in Gondar, Wollo and North Shewa, without which TPLF had no way of getting to Addis Ababa and seize power. Why is Amhara not considered for a ‘special budget’ allocation? Since budget allocations are totally based on population count of each state, the Amhara regional state whose population was said to have officially diminished by 2.5 million by the last census continues to get less or reduced budget has reduced and strongly constricted its overall development.
The council also discusses and approves (according to EBC and its so called satellite regional stations propaganda) the creation of special zones and districts in all states. But so far, the only decisions in that regard have been made exclusively against the Amhara state. So far, five special zones have been created inside Amhara and more are expected to follow. Genuine requests of some tribes in other states are all being rejected. Ask yourselves why only in Amhara the council continues to decide the formation of such zones?
These negative actions continue to shape and change the geographic appearance of Amhara’s circumscribed territory and are responsible for the continuous diminishing size of the Amhara state at all times for the past 25 years. Kasa T/Berhan, a Tigrean senior member of ANDM who served as chairman of this council between 1995 and 2015, is accountable for imposing the TPLF’s long standing aim of dismembering Amhara state into an insignificant minority area. He also works in unison with the regime to legalize further Tigryans expansion on to fertile Amhara lands in Gondar’s sesame and cotton belt bordering the Sudan. Now he is minister of Federation Affairs leading at the fore front the destruction of Amhara. At this moment he is the most vocal ANDM leader and critic opposing the Welkait Amhara identity question and issue in public.
His replacement in the Federation Council, another ANDM/TPLF leader, Yalew Abate who used to be the chairman of the fake Amhara Council continues in the footsteps of the former in speeding up the process of dismembering Amhara beyond recognition through the formation of pro TPLF new & artificial special zones, like Lasta in the north, Qemant in the north west and Argoba in the east. These two officials’ actions are testimony that ANDM is not representing the Amhara people but stands guard and promotes the objective laid by the 1978 TPLF manifesto’s politico military and economic agenda.
- Ministry of Public Health
Beyond doubt, it constituted one of the most hailed community health extension systems. However, behind this system the extension workers are selected on the basis of their political ties with the ruling TPLF and its allies as loyalists. The health extension workers don’t have professional trainings in the health sector besides carrying out messages trickled down to them from the leadership in the form of agitations. In the Amhara region or state they are given a unique role in applying the regime’s agenda of containing the population from growth under the cover of family planning. Every Amhara girl from the age of 12 and up is forced by the authorities to use different kinds of birth control methods to stop pregnancy. According to a September 2004 USAID survey:
“Health institutions (hospitals, health stations, and health posts) were reported as main sources of contraceptive supplies to about two-third of the users in Tigray, and SNRP, 84% in Amhara and 70% in Oromia.”
For the latest so called family planning fiasco and TPLF’s tactics of depopulating the Amhara, also refer to 12/19/2016 publication on various websites, like for example Welkait.com by ‘Amhara Medical doctors’.
A few years back, the former ‘president’ of Amhara state who is now TPLF’s ambassador to Turkey, Mr.Ayalew Gobeze signed an internal memo ordering all members of the Amhara police and militia forces that serve the Woyane regime, to conduct a house to house search making sure that all Amhara women in child bearing age were using contraceptives. (The memo exempts Agew, Oromo, Argoba, Kimant and others in accordance with TPLF’s directives). The memo also gave power to the mentioned forces to arrest anyone that challenges the use of birth control. As a result of these measures, the Amhara state continues to report the least child birth rate every year in the whole of the country. Unlike the other regional states of Ethiopia where the majority of the population is the youth category, in the Amhara region most of the population belongs to the older and dying generation.
Professor Berhanu Abegaz’s article mentioned under the sub title Census 2007, clearly explained that:
” Persistent accusations of Amara women being subjected to long-acting contraceptives and deceptive sterilizations are common enough to warrant a thorough and impartial investigation. At the very least, we will then be able to differentiate the proportion of the missing millions that is due to averted births and excess mortality (such as due to HIV-AIDS) and what proportion is attributable to miscounting and/or deliberate undercounting.”
In the Amhara regional state, all major birth control medications like oral tablets, injectable and inserts are supplied and distributed by strict government enforcement. In fact, the TPLF regime spends more money in this Amhara depopulation scheme than other important & crucial health care areas, like infectious and contagious diseases. Therefore, in Ethiopia the Amhara state has been officially declared the CONTRACEPTIVE CAPITAL of Africa.
The ministry of Health also uses the clinics and related facilities in the Amhara state to secretly spread HIV/AIDS by injecting mostly the young people with infected or tainted needles. This crime against humanity is not yet fully exposed to the world to know, but slowly some participants and eye witnesses have began talking and even writing about the genocide the TPLF is committing in Amhara.
Due to purposeful neglect, low budget allocation and lack of trained health care personnel, the region’s overall health status is the worst in Ethiopia. Health facilities which are few in the Amhara regional state don’t get the necessary equipment and medication like antibiotics etc. and cannot provide proper services. On 11 November, 2015 Dr. Daniel Mekonnen’s ‘ TB/HIV Co-infections and associated factors among patients on directly observed treatment short course in northeastern Ethiopia as a 4 year retrospective study ‘ was published on line by BMC open access that shows HIV-AIDS is more spread in Amhara than the rest of the country.
” According to 2011 Ethiopian demographic health survey, the prevalence of HIV was 1.5%. Similarly, in urban and rural Amhara region where this study is conducted, the prevalence of HIV was 10.7% and 1.5% respectively. (p.1) Among Ethiopian regional states, the highest proportion of people living with HIV-AIDS (PLHIV) were seen in Amhara. (p.3) ”
Why is the AIDS epidemic the highest in Amhara? This issue needs to be addressed with research and analysis in the years ahead if a regime change comes. At this moment the TPLF junta that is accused by many Amhara political activists to be the culprit behind the subject is not allowing independent
researchers to do the work and continues to use only those affiliated with its Health ministry to issue murky and biased reports to block any visible success in the fight against the epidemic in Amhara.
As the result, the death rate of mothers at child birth, infant mortality before the age of 2, mass death of Amharas from malaria, trachoma, water borne diseases and other infections are the characteristics of the regional state. These negative records of health issues are the result of the TPLF manifesto that associates the guarantee of Tigryan rule & hegemony with the extermination of the Amhara as its number one enemy. For example, TB and Diabetes Mellitus are more wide spread in the region than in the country in general. A BMC Health Services Research on 04/19/2016 issued a report proving that:
“Ethiopia is one of the 22 high TB burden countries in the world… There were over 1.3 million cases of DM in Ethiopia [12]. In Amhara region where this study was conducted, the magnitude of TB and DM co morbidity is high [13, 14, 15]. The double burden of the two diseases is a serious and growing challenge for the health system in the region.”
To these gross human rights violations and systematic Amhara ethnic cleansing, authorities of the ministry of health must be held legally accountable and brought to justice including Dr.Tewodros Adhanom who runs the office for more than 20 years. He is one of the few top TPLF leaders who crafted, applied, and led the systematic genocide of the Amhara people.
There is one particular misconception about leprosy in Ethiopia. The ministry of health led by TPLF cadres and all OLF activists openly brand the Amhara with shameful insults ‘as leprosy ridden people & region’, based on their racist rants and hatred. But the facts about the disease are well known by WHO. Leprosy is spread all over Ethiopia in Oromia, Amhara, Southern state, Gambela, Benishangul, Tigray, etc. According to US Library of Congress report on ‘Health and Welfare’:
“Leprosy was common in Harerege, Gojam, and in areas bordering Sudan and Kenya.”
The above reasoning is mentioned to show that both the Tigryan and Oromo groups’ dislike of the Amhara is very deep. All their outcries on social media and writings expose how low they can go with high volume of character assassination. The Ministry of Health in line with TPLF’s policy of trashing the Amhara people, is purposely keeping blind eyes and deaf ears about the defamation rhetoric.
- The Intelligence and Security Bureau
This agency functions as the eyes, nose, ears, legs and hands of the ruthless TPLF to make sure Tigryan supremacy and hegemony continues unchallenged by any individual or group in Ethiopia. It is the most important tool of the Tigryan junta set up to suppress dissent and prolong TPLF rule. The structure, purpose, leadership, personnel, special budget, affinity and power is absolutely controlled by ‘The Tigray Administrative Region office’ led by TPLF’s chairman Abay Woldu.
Inside the Amhara state, Tigryan spies control and run the day to day administrative activities starting from the neighborhood level up to the regional state government headquarter in Bahirdar city. The Amhara National Democratic Movement that is purposely set up with Tigryans at the top is simply carrying out TPLF directives as part of the intelligence and security bureau against the interest of the Amhara people. This fake party that uses “Amhara” as its name in its logo, widely transformed Amhara state into a hidden mass prison and grave. No one is safe in Amhara from the hate and vengeful policies of TPLF. Extra judicial killings, hate propaganda, disappearances, arbitrary arrests and torture including illegal house searches in the state are committed openly unchecked by the Woyane Intelligence and security apparatus with the help of ANDM.
This evil spy agency uses its special force as well as the notorious federal police and the Army to carry out TPLF’s systematic goal of dismembering and destroying Amhara at all cost. (on 07/15/2014 I wrote a research based article titled “Amhara National Democratic Movement – A TPLF Surrogate and Watchdog Dominated by Tigryans Marching On Unchecked Destroying Amhara”. It was published by ECADF and it’s on You Tube).
At this critical juncture, the spy agency as usual is using the money that the TPLF is stealing from all Ethiopians to buy, train and use as stumbling blocks against any Amhara attempt towards building a solid association by establishing its preferred fake and pro TPLF groups like the “Gondar, Gojam etc. Hibret”. These so called ‘Hibret’ smell like a joint TPLF/EPLF longstanding anti Amhara conspiracy with a touch of EPLF supported elements that oppose the regime. Many observers think the regimes in Addis Ababa and Asmara are enemies, but the hidden truth behind their de facto brotherhood will one day get exposed. Until then do not discount the idea that they keep in touch via their security and spy agencies. These two enemies are investing heavily in dividing the Amhara into provincial groups to weaken the resistance. The writer would like to stress to all the fact that there is only ONE & THE SAME AMHARA PEOPLE.
Therefore, each and every Amhara must openly expose and discredit these anti Amhara agents and watch dogs (Hibret) of the Tigryan & Eritrean regimes until their final demise comes true. (Amharas must stop being humble & diplomatic about these ‘Hibret’ groups). When Amharas from Gojam were singled out, massacred and the rest were evicted mercilessly from Gura Ferda in the Southern state and Wellega in the Oromia state, etc. where were these people who now set up “Hibret”? The same goes to Gondar Hibret who were mute when the TPLF took by force Humera, Welkait, Tsegede, Tselemt and even handed over as a gift huge chunks of lands from Quara, Metema and
Armachiho to Sudan. (On this ‘Hibret’ topic I wrote an Amharic article published by Welkait.com, Ethio patriots on 11/7/16 and featured by Andinet Radio of Stockholm on 11/21/2016).
CONCLUSION
In order to understand the fake federal system in Ethiopia, let us see briefly how it works. First there is the federal constitution. I decided to use the word ‘fake’ due to the fact all the leadership in the regional states are handpicked by the TPLF and has no decisive executive powers. Although, the junta claims that they are elected officials, all election outcomes so far are orchestrated and only TPLF or EPRDF (Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic front) members are pronounced elected. For example, all the 574 seats of the Ethiopian Parliament are controlled by the mentioned party. So called opposition parties that accepted TPLF rule did not even win a single seat. Then it is followed by the legal documents of each regional state. There are a number of clash points between the federal and state constitutions.
Unlike the main charter, all legal documents of the regional states are against secession of any group or groups from their given territories. The only exception is ANDM. It wrote a constitution for Amhara, declaring “secession is legal”. This group which is a TPLF creation and puppet without any Amhara interest in its midst is working hand in hand with its god father to piece by piece dismantle or disfigure Amhara and kill the Amhara peoples’ resolve beyond recognition. It is also a fact that to join the civil services of all states, one must not only speak the regional working language but should also be a member of the regional states’ dominant (majority ethnic group). This is stated by their legal charters. But in the Amhara state any one from any state can join the civil service and ethnicity has no bearing. As a result mostly Tigryans and partly Oromos not only join but hold key high level posts in the Amhara civil service. (one of the methods that the TPLF fascists use to deny educated Amhara youth jobs is this kind of working condition formulated by its busboy ANDM).
All of the states declared that regional citizenship is given only to members of the major ethnic group or groups who are considered to be local or indigenous. (Using this pretext all the regional states conducted ruthless ethnic cleansing and massacres against the TPLF hated Amharas blindly and brutally between 1992 and 2016. Even 3, 4 or 5 generations of Amharas born there are not spared. They are exposed to deportations). Mind you, Ethiopians deported by other Ethiopians within Ethiopia is bizarre and unheard of anywhere else in the world. This statement is a fact vis a vis the continuing labelling of Amhara residents in all regional states as ‘an immigrant and outsider’ and forced by the TPLF/EPRDF leadership in all the states for evictions. In Ethiopia the Amhara unlike other ethnic groups has no freedom of movement, and is not allowed to live and make a living outside the government designated Amhara state. Such persecutive policy’s objective is summed up by AAPO’s
September 17, 1992 letter to the then chairman of the Sub-committee on Africa of the US Congress:
”… it was clear that the maximum concentration and direction was targated towards the Amhara for the purpose of elimination of the people and the eradication of their culture.”
In the Amhara region, however, anybody from all other ethnic groups in the country has to present a proof of a 2 years residency, in order to be allowed. He or she can run for public office, join the police force, and even become the president of the state if he or she joins ANDM/TPLF. Using this loophole, hundreds of thousands of Tigryans migrated to northern Amhara. The migrants are now officially and boldly raising the issue of their so called constitutional right of joining their settlement in Amhara with the Tigray state. This conspiracy is well cooked by the TPLF & they have now grown stronger with the help of ANDM which time and again enforces Amhara displacements with the aim of making way for the new Tigryan migrant settlers. (As a result of this illegal and forced displacement Tigryans have become owners of wide sesame and cotton farm lands in Metema, Armachiho and even in Quara etc.).
All these political evidences regarding the 9 regional states that the TPLF created are marching towards demolishing the Ethiopian State. The main goal of Tigryan hegemony is to usurp the economy and territory as much as possible to push Tigray into an independent state, by open or official dismantling of all assets that make Ethiopia a nation. This kind of negative and divisive federalism, according to Carl Joachim Friedrich’s 1968 book, entitled ‘Trends of Federalism in theory and practice’:
“…. (is) disaggregative, in which a hitherto unitary political community …becomes differentiated into a number of separate and distinct political communities.”
The Amhara in today’s TPLF controlled Ethiopia have no basic human individual rights. They don’t have democratic rights. Everything in the constitution that talks about citizenship rights is not applicable to the Amhara. As mentioned earlier, the Tigryan junta in its 1978 MANIFESTO officially, in black and white, labeled that the Amhara are the NUMBER ONE ENEMY of the Tigryan people. Due to this reason, Amharas are sidelined from all walks of life and isolated by all other ethnic groups that joined hands with the TPLF. In fact, all of the TPLF and EPLF Tigryan leadership and their followers call the Amhara people as ‘DONKEYS’ showing their hate and disrespect. Durame’s publication mentioned earlier puts the words of Meles in the aftermath of the bloody 2005 election:
”These Amhara donkeys need to be taught a lesson. They only become peaceful and religious when a Kalashnikov is pointed at them.”
These kinds of harsh attitudes were and are reflected by the Tigryan junta, its Tigryan supporters and other ethnocentric separatists like the OLF, etc. in their websites and interviews while expressing their ultimate hate towards Amharas. ANDM officials who now control the Amhara region as puppets of the TPLF time and again echo the insults and cursing shouted by Tigryan and Oromo politicians and uses them to weaken Amharas’ resolve to stand up and fight for its rights.
Amharas will never forget the 2014 Alemnew Mekonnen’s shameful insults against the Amhara people. He is former vice president of the Amhara state and head of ANDM headquarter.
Make no mistake, Addis Ababa is established from scratch by the Amhara people, mostly by Shewan Amhara. In 25 years, the TPLF forced hundreds of thousands of Amharas out of their holdings and properties and pushed them out of the city. By planting Tigryans in large number and encouraging Oromos to move in from all over, it has so far managed to drastically change the content of the City’s demography. The 2007 national census report shows that the population of Addis Ababa and Amhara declined in large numbers. Nowadays, in its policy of destroying the wellbeing of the Amhara, TPLF officially addresses them as:
“Citizens of the Amhara Region residing in Addis Ababa …”
This Tigryan policy of hate and propaganda aims at carrying out at any moment mass Amhara evictions in lieu in secret agreement with the criminal OLF. The issue of to whom Addis Ababa belongs to is not and won’t be decided by Tigryans who have nothing to do with the city’s history. Yes, now they have the center of political, economic and all military power. And they can do and say anything they want. For the Tigryans using the city card means widening the gap between the Amhara and Oromo. This way, the TPLF manages to keep the two largest communities at loggerheads. This Divide and Rule tactic lets the junta to hang onto power longer.
The quest for resistance by the Amhara is intertwined with its past history. You might say the Amhara by nature are a humble, sociable, respectful, kind and reliable people among other things. As stated earlier, the people of Amhara were targeted by a number of external and domestic forces that ransacked and massacred huge numbers of women, children and the elderly at given times throughout Ethiopian history. That means the Amhara are tested by fire overtime and managed the continuity of their people to this date by their resilient nature of sheer audacity for survival. This is the embodiment within each and every Amhara that allowed the people to spring out of disastrous situations victorious time and again throughout their history. Protracted armed struggle and sacrifices here and there by a small group of villagers and friends always helped the Amhara to drive its enemies away. This kind of adaptability from time immemorial helped the Amhara to inflict heavy and frustrating damage to the modern Italian invading army during the 5 years liberation war of the Second World War.
Nowadays the same traditional way of defensive measures has begun to mushroom up in western and northern Amhara by farmers and the youth against the TPLF regime. Unfortunately, some anti Amhara elements who at one time were part of the suppressive regime and who now consider themselves in the opposition are attempting to steal the sacrifice that Amhara men and women of Gondar are paying every day under the only banner of Amhara resistance. It should be crystal clear to all that the fight against the security forces of the regime in Amhara is by no means connected with the empty propaganda of these opportunistic groups.
The dictatorial regime however, is attempting to attach the Amhara people’s revolt to foreign anti Ethiopia powers and some external based opposition groups that the regime claims to be terrorists with a destabilizing agenda. With such propaganda that twists the facts, the TPLF has so far managed to trick non Amhara Ethiopians and foreign governments with respect to its heavy military actions inside Amhara. To strengthen this unlikely marriage between the TPLF and Ginbot 7 propaganda, the regime has now officially accused all leaders of the Welkait Amhara Identity committee members as Ginbot 7 operatives.
Using the 2009 ATP, they all are now wrongfully charged in Federal court. In all this colorless political drama, Ginbot 7 has not even come up with an official statement denying any connections with the Amhara resistance and the Welkait issue. Its continuing groundless claims of armed struggle inside Amhara against the TPLF, are hurting the day to day lives of the population in Gondar and all over Amhara, who are targeted for all kinds of measures that the October 8/2016 state of emergency stipulated. As a result, numerous youth have been arrested arbitrarily, extra judicially executed and their every movement has fallen under the watchful eyes of the TPLF military 24/7.
Once again, Ginbot7 preferred to be silent about the suffering of the Amhara. In fact it is happy that its propaganda fiction is well bought by the TPLF. This makes Ginbot7 unequivocally responsible for the mass torture, abuse, killings and imprisonment committed by the regime in Amhara. Ginbot7 is no different in its hate and enmity towards the Amhara people. A Welkait.com publication on 01/03/2017 shows a copy of Ginbot7’s rules and procedures in selecting its council members. Under Article 2, it states:
“members should be between the ages of 18 and 70, and should speak other languages spoken in our country in addition to Amharic.”
According to the publication, since an Amhara doesn’t speak another language because his/her mother tongue is nationally a language of administration, an Amhara is automatically denied a council membership status by Ginbot7. This has a striking similarity with the 1978 TPLF manifesto. Those Amhara intellectuals who continue to assist Ginbot7 and its mouthpiece ESAT need to reevaluate their affiliation with this anti Amhara EPLF financed and led group without delay.
At this stage of Ethiopian history, the survival of the Amhara becomes first more than unity itself. These two political organizations mentioned above equally isolate and marginalize the Amhara from any role in Ethiopia’s domestic affairs and consider the Amhara as a second class citizen. This evidence clearly indicates that linking Ginbot7 with the resistance in Amhara is just like a blind and deaf combination. Amhara will never be Ginbot7’s soccer field. Furthermore, who is dying in Gondar and Gojam? Whose farm land is being burnt by the regimes forces? Who has lost his/her house by reprisal actions of TPLF? What is the composition of the resistance? The only answer to all the above is simply AMHARA and nobody else. Not even a single person from any other ethnic group is part of the uprising that is going on in Amhara. Has or have any other ethnic groups or members been fighting the TPLF alongside Amhara resistance? So where is the merit behind the biased ESAT propaganda and Ginbot7 empty claims? Both Ginbot7 and ESAT have failed to acknowledge the very basic right that the Amhara people have to organize and defend themselves from a coordinated genocide. This attitude by itself is hypocritical. Since last July, ESAT and Ginbot7 are in a collision course with the Amhara. Unless they stop playing with fire, amend their behavior and find a way to correct their mistaken political direction in the long run they will definitely loose the support of the Amhara people.
Ginbot7’s propaganda machine and war unleashed against the Amhara has formed a cocoon around the few financially and manpower-wise weak Amhara associations, groups and activists. Their unorganized, indecisive and incoherent response and lack of action is allowing the mouthpiece of Ginbot7, ESAT, to successfully hijack Amhara peoples’ resistance and make the EPLF financed and supported Ginbot7 and OLF to have more coverage, advantage and recognition. The attempt by Moresh Wegenie Amara Organization to challenge and expose the biased propaganda against Amhara by launching a radio service is commendable and a positive beginning to challenge ESAT and Ginbot7’s nonsense braggadocio.
These two opportunistic groups (Ginbot7 and OLF) opened an all out war against the rudimentary Amhara activism based on social media and forcing the Amhara resistance in Gondar etc. to fall prey to the TPLF army. Important figures of the Amhara Resistance were killed by the TPLF army from information obtained from these two anti Amhara elements. The unfortunate Amhara is now becoming a victim ridden community due to the lack of a strong political action and media representation as well as the Amhara elites’ outdated and stubborn opposition to the realization of a pro Amhara political union. This way the most conscious section of the Amhara population both from within and without are committing a serious political suicide.
Playing the Ginbot7 card and misleading world public opinion, the TPLF has continued to spread government sponsored terrorism in Shewa, Wollo, Gojam, and Gondar and all over Ethiopia against Amharas. In the 1990’s TPLF used the same tactics and groundless accusations against AAPO that was established to become a voice of the Amhara who were mercilessly slaughtered by the armed gangs of OLF and OPDO/TPLF. At that time, both mentioned Oromo groups as part of the transitional government were funded and instigated by the TPLF regime itself in what is today the Oromo region.
Attempts by Professor Asrat’s AAPO to organize the Amhara legally and defend the people from hate crimes against humanity were short lived when the Tigryan fascist leadership carried out a campaign of horrifying terror against the leaders, members, and supporters of the organization and eventually destroyed it. Since then in the absence of a pro Amhara political party, the people of Shewa, Gojam, Gondar, Wollo and their relatives and descendants living in other regions of the country were and are exposed to untold misery, killings and mass deportations.
At this particular juncture of Ethiopian history, the new and young generation of Amharas both from inside and outside Ethiopia has begun to say NO to state condoned and sanctioned persecution as well as genocide. The waking up of the Amhara from 25 long years of sleep to step out of subjugation is the rise of a new Amhara hot blooded generation and has nothing to do with opposition forces, terrorism, or foreign conspiracy. It is undoubtedly the total outcome of years of untold oppression. This time around Amhara resistance won’t be hijacked by any group or TPLF.
Both ANDM/TPLF and the so called opposition do not represent any Amhara interest. Therefore, a serious and determined Amhara led revolution is now in full swing and the process of setting up a sound and a fully fledged Amhara Political Organization is under way. There are individuals and political groups that are trying hard to snatch the Amhara people’s anti TPLF protracted uprising and make it look like their own struggle, but this ploy can no longer work because the Amhara people of today have become aware of the opportunistic politics that both the ruling junta and the lying opposition groups are playing.
The June, July, August and September 2016 uprisings and the armed resistance that is quietly spreading in Gondar and Gojam provinces have become international news that the TPLF can no longer keep concealed. This time around, the resistance torch is lit by the people of Welkait who raised the Amhara identity question challenging the illegal territorial expansion of TPLF’s Tigray state at the expense of fertile and mineral rich lands of the Amhara province of northern Gondar.
The TPLF’s love affair with illegal and unchecked territorial seizure and expansion, by forcefully grabbing lands from Amhara, has so many strategic and economic advantages for the future Greater Tigray Independent State. First and foremost it will have a common border with Sudan. (At this moment I don’t want to elaborate on this subject). Since proper Tigray territory is arid and unsuitable for agriculture, the Amhara districts of Setit Humera, Welkait, Tsegede, Tselemt, Ofla, Enda Mahoney, Alamata and Raya are well known agricultural fertile zones with high yields in oil seeds, natural gums, Teff, wheat, barley, corn, sorghum, cotton, and many kinds of fruits, vegetables, a large number of cattle population and minerals like gold, etc.
For example since those Amhara lands were colonized by the Tigryans, TPLF controls 80% of natural gum, Arabic and gum myrrh export and earns up to 12 million US dollars a year according to12/18/2016 EBC news report. According to vol.1,#.5, 2015 ‘Agricultural and Biological Sciences Journal ‘:
“during 2011… Ethiopia is among the top 5 world’s producer of sesame seeds… In Ethiopia … sesame ranks first in total area and from oil crops during 2013; and Tigray, oromia, Amhara and Benishangul regions are the major producers. .”
Some market analysts rank Ethiopia the 4th largest exporter of sesame. August 5, 2015 Bloomberg news stated that:
“The horn of Africa country earned $642.7 million from mainly sesame and niger seeds”
From this income it is not difficult to understand most of it goes to Tigray because it has become the largest sesame exporter after it took Amhara lands and sesame income is contributing the highest share of TPLF’s goal of accumulating a substantial amount reserve in hard currency before it announces a split from Ethiopia.
Amharas lost not only their ancestral lands to Tigryans but also their natural resources and wealth. This will make Amhara Resistance even more determined and resolved to take back what belongs to it. The armed struggle there belongs to the Amhara people of Gondar spearheaded under the banner ‘Welkaite is Amhara! & the Tekezie (Atbara) river is our boarder!’ Remember, now the whole 154,709 square km of the so called Amhara region is a mass prison for the 23 million people who live there. For the rest of the twelve million Amharas residing elsewhere in Ethiopia, life has become a living hell.
Renowned human rights advocates in North America, Europe, and elsewhere have now, after 25 years of neglect and silence, begun to voice their concern about human rights abuses committed against the Amhara people by the brutal Tigryan led regime’s security forces. Amnesty International explained the killings of innocent protesters in the Amhara capital city of Bahirdar, as equal to “…. extra judicial execution…”. United Nations HRC top diplomat openly demanded an independent inquiry about the killings. Also the Ethiopian Human Rights Project listed the names of 96 innocent demonstrators who were extrajudicial killed in Western Amhara in July 2016 by the TPLF cruel junta.(Refer to its November 2016 Report).
TPLF strongly opposed the call for an independent probe in order to hide the flagrant violations of human rights by openly carrying out extrajudicial executions of hundreds of innocent demonstrators in Debarq, Gondar, Debre Tabor, Bahirdar, Fenote selam, Dangela, Bure, Injebara (Kosober), Dembia, Alefa, Armachiho, Wegera, and many other towns and villages in north and western Amhara, which without doubt is to be considered a crime against humanity. The illegal searches and arbitrary arrests of thousands of Amhara youth and the torture that followed will one day come out in the open. Until then, the struggle of the people of Amhara shall continue. Their uprising for freedom from Tigryan dictatorship and fascism only bears fruit if it is well coordinated and directed by an organized Amhara united front.
Even US government officials are beginning to raise their concerns. Mr. Tom Malinowsky wrote an article about the recent uprising and the response of the regime published on Allafrica.com. (He is the Assistant Secretary of state for democracy human rights and labor under the outgoing US administration). The US Ambassador to the UN, while on a visit to South Sudan, also talked about it by using the words “use of excessive force “. The US State Department also issued travel advisory and warning and Congress passed a House resolution against the Ethiopian government’s violations of human rights. US Senator Leahy criticized the violent crackdown against demonstrators in a statement that came out on September 27, 2016. Other countries and the EU raised their concerns to and even made opinions so that the TPLF regime should respect the constitution it wrote itself for Ethiopia, etc. and find peaceful means to resolve issues raised by protesters instead of trying to break unrest using gunfire. However, as long as these foreign powers continue to give financial, diplomatic and military assistance to the TPLF, based on its direct military involvement against Alshebaba in Somalia, the TPLF will continue using their assistance to stifle and abuse the very principle they claim to stand for, i.e., the democratic and basic human rights demands of the Amhara people and others. The US & EU must re-evaluate their policies towards the TPLF regime.
Key media networks all over the world gave the popular rise of the Amhara against persecution ample coverage. Newspapers and magazines with the highest acclaim reported it in the form of news, articles and editorials. As far as global media is concerned, such attention and reporting made the hidden atrocities against the Amhara international public knowledge. To this unexpected news coverage and opportunity all Amharas are now grateful and begin to use it to further the cause of Amhara resistance and the need for a multifaceted political party to save Amhara from total annihilation and government sponsored systematic genocide.
A need to react
In general, at this moment we can definitely say the spirit of Amhara for survival is reborn. From this onwards the resolve of the Amhara people for survival, individual rights, democracy and equal rights & opportunity won’t be averted. Saving Amharas above anything else must be a priority. With this in mind, the differences between the young and old generation of the Amhara community must come to a common understanding for the success of the resistance.
All Amhara people throughout their history survived all the above mentioned and other destructive invasions and atrocities by sheer power of various local based resistance and sacrifice that guaranteed the continuity of their identity. In short the Amhara resistance is not something new to the Amhara people. Resistance has always been a fact of life and a deeply established tradition of each and every one in the Amhara community irrespective of religious beliefs. The protracted armed uprising in North Gondar is the continuation of the longstanding Amhara tradition to survive against all odds. It should be crystal clear to all that the Amharas have the natural and legal right to organize and defend themselves from extermination. Both friends and foes of the Amhara people, particularly those who associate themselves with unity, have the obligation to accept the ongoing reality and paradigm shift within Amhara political circles in favor of the formation of a solid Amhara political party. Whether they like it or not, an Amhara organization and resistance is neither negotiable nor expendable.
The resistance already became a reality, just like a GINI escaping from the box that imprisoned it, there is no way back to the old mentality of passive solitude and submission. Amhara’s resolve will get stronger in time with or without pressures from unity forces that failed the Amhara time and again or a state of emergency & martial law issued by the TPLF.
The late professor Asrat Woldeyes who will always be remembered by all Amhara people, used to say, “ዝንጀሮ መጀመሪያ የመቀመጫዬን ትላለች” (in English: “A monkey (baboon) prioritizes its bottom above anything else” because it is not covered by skin or hair and exposes the monkey to discomfort from heat, cold, thorns and the like.
In present day Ethiopia, ethnic politics rule everything. TPLF fascism is fully matured. No other group is exposed, hated and targeted for a purposely coordinated systematic genocide by the TPLF regime, OLF, OPDO/TPLF, ANDM/TPLF ethno-centric politicians and all others in the opposition as the Amhara people. It is therefore the Amhara people’s natural right (more than any other legal right) to stand up in unison in order to defend and fight for its interests and very existence. It must be very clear that all deals that are made between ANDM and TPLF regarding the Amhara and Tigray states on territorial issues do not reflect the history of settlement and wish of the Amhara and only favor that of Tigray state and that they are and will be all null and void. The Amhara people will not compromise on territorial issues and make no concessions to anyone or at any moment.
The sons and daughters of Amhara are paying sacrifice with their golden lives in Sanja, Musie Bamb, Kafta, Welkait, Abderafi, Dansha Metema, Abrehajira, Gondar Zuria, etc. in a hand to hand battle that is not yet reported in international media against the genocidal and predatory TPLF army even as we speak. This battle is decisive for the future of Amharas and the rest of Ethiopians who are struggling to remove tyranny and dictatorship from their midst. Amharas must first and foremost save themselves. Amhara genocide unreported around the world is not a joke. Always remember victims of Amhara mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters and relatives. The blood shed by the innocent people is calling upon all Amharas to rise up and drive the criminal racist TPLF regime to its grave for good. Only then the genocide stops. The new and Young Amhara generation I strongly believe is up to this challenge.
Finally, the attitude and negative opinion aired by some individuals, few Amhara intellectuals and some Ethiopian opposition parties’ open strong resentment towards the question of achieving a coherent and viable Amhara political organization is a past & backward mentality that does not reflect the present state of affairs in Ethiopia. It failed to conceive TPLF’s all out war against the one social community that paid huge price to preserve the country’s well being. Those groups’ intention is to use the annihilation of the Amhara as a stepping stone to their long standing dream of attaining power. Opposition forces that recently formed an alliance consider the Genocide of the Amhara as a Collateral Damage. This absolutely is a tragic ABOMINATION on the part of these opportunistic groups.
Amharas must abandon the destructionist agenda and propaganda of forces that oppose Amharas’ attempt to organize. Times have greatly changed, there is a new and energetic Amhara generation, and therefore, such attitude is no longer feasible. The only option left to defend the Amhara from total annihilation is to launch a multifaceted, viable and coordinated defensive and offensive fight against the regime and its allies under the umbrella of a strong, bold, cohesive, disciplined and well managed Amhara political party. Remember, in Ethiopia today, all ethnic based political groups which are financed and controlled by the Tigryan rulers have officially targeted the Amhara as an enemy and blindly carry out atrocities without regret and mercy. MAKE NO MISTAKE, IN ETHIOPIA, TO BE AN AMHARA IS A CRIME. In this respect, I urge every Amhara to think twice and concentrate on saving Amhara first than any other goal to avoid regrets by attaching themselves with groups that don’t have the Amhara interest at hand. AMHARAS MUST STOP MAKING A FATAL MISTAKE
Zehabesha.com published a unique and touching article that point by point explains the plight of the Amhara under the present dictatorial regime, titled “Emergency Call to all Amharas” written by a well informed & concerned Amhara three or four years ago. The echo of this paper is now heard time and again in all Amhara platforms. Recently, upon my request in my 11/07/2016 article, Welkait.com and Ethio patriots as well as AAPOII re- published it on 11/22/2016. On 11/26 & 11/30 2016, the newly launched Voice of Amhara aired this highly informative, agitational and motivational article about the systematic all rounded genocide of the Amhara by the Tigray People Liberation Front or EPRDF. The paper strongly argued with facts on the ground about the uncompromising necessity for establishing an Amhara national union to fight against such evil actions. On 12/14/ /2016 it appeared on the Bete Amhara face book page.
Amhara people’s resistance has faced multiple stumbling blocks both from the terror spread by the TPLF’s army and falsified propaganda let loose by some opposition groups and the unrelenting media chitchat bombardment by TPLF, OLF, EPLF, disguised spies and the distorted news reporting by a few radio stations that run by various diaspora opposition groups. Silently, the Bashir regime of Sudan is also getting involved by providing intelligence report and by deploying its army to block the Gondar – Sudan border. Bashir and TPLF have a bilateral defense agreement. When TPLF celebrated the nations and nationalities fiasco in Harrar in December 2016, Bashir was a guest, although his real presence was to discuss their common enemy: the Amhara resistance. Since TPLF gave away Amhara lands to Sudan, Bashir knows he cannot hold on to the territory that doesn’t belong to Sudan if the Amhara resistance becomes stronger. This means Bashir is going to be pressured by the TPLF to enter the war fighting the Amhara, even if his actions will have dire consequences in the post TPLF era for his country.
The article ”Emergency Call to All Amharas” is an astounding proof that the patience of the Amhara people who are exposed to terrifying persecution has run out. Now they are ready to work up to giving their dearest lives for freedom alongside a solid Amhara organization and defend the very survival of their people. This new development in the political affairs of the country has caused panic within TPLF and so called opposition circles. They now are beginning to feel the heat and understand that they can no longer use the Amhara people as a stepping stone to power. That is why they are staunchly against any attempt by the Amhara to organize.
While the majority of Amhara intellectuals bask in a pool of self-denial, confusion and disgust still attaching themselves to the weird opposition that practically failed, young Amharas and their peasant families have began challenging Tigryan fascism at all cost. Their innocent blood that is shed daily in their towns and villages boldly raised the moral and determination of the resistance movement. The struggle is now on solid grounds and no longer reversible.
An Emergency call
Amhara Media needs to be strengthened with financial support from the community. Skilled Amharas must cooperate by devoting their free time to make it successful. Amharas must without delay set up their own SATELLITE RADIO and TV to directly and responsibly address issues that matter most to the Amhara people. Relying on biased media that continues to spread misinformation about the resistance must be challenged. Let me give you a good example of biased news reporting by ESAT on 12/14/2016 about Amnesty International’s statement on TPLF’s blocking of websites, According to Engedu Wolde (ESAT reporter)
“… Amnesty International report says during the uprising especially in Oromia, the Ethiopian government blocked the internet so that news couldn’t come out…”
Amnesty International’s report didn’t use the words ‘especially in Oromia’ but Engedu used ‘በተለይ’ or ‘especially’ to elaborate his biased reporting. He didn’t even bother that anyone can read AI’s report. This is to prove that individuals can negatively affect any media; including ESAT who exposed the genocide of Amhara in 2013 and thereafter in its news and interview programs etc. and over the years had served as a voice of freedom for Ethiopians. The information it provides is helpful in the fight against TPLF. But lately, ESAT’s failure to report about the Amhara Resistance without distortion is finger pointing to its media impartiality. Up to now I haven’t seen or heard honest news and analysis on the Amhara sacrifice in Gondar. As to why ESAT wants to keep labeling the struggle as a Ginbot7 activity without mentioning at all the Amhara Resistance nobody knows, but it might severely affect its aura in the future. Now let us see how Amnesty International puts it, I quote,
“… internet access on mobile devices had been completely blocked in Amhara, Addis Ababa and Oromia in the lead up to protests in the three regions on 6 and 7 August. This was confirmed in Google’s transparency reports for the period between July and November 2016 which showed a dramatic drop in internet traffic out of Ethiopia on the two days when at least 100 people were killed by security forces during the protests.”
Recently a few Amhara intellectuals are slowly coming to join the Amhara resistance and even voice their supportive opinions. This is encouraging good news. For the past 25 years the international media ignored the plight of Amhara. Now, because of the Amhara resistance spearheaded by the Welkait Amhara Identity question & the uprisings that followed in Gondar and parts of Gojam and to a lesser extent in other Amhara areas, Amharas’ struggle to survive against institutionalized genocide has become global public news.
Within the four months of upheaval in 2016, the Amhara resistance already achieved a huge victory of worldwide recognition that the so called opposition failed to achieve in 25 years. Nobody is calling us ‘Amharic speaking people’ anymore, but with our rightful identity, Amhara. That is exactly what we want to be called and it feels so good to have our Amhara identity restored to us. This is another great success brought by the Amhara resistance. Despite minor glitches that are being seen in the form of ‘Hibret’ formations, the sense of ONE AMHARA FAMILY is getting stronger by the day more than ever before. This is the greatest of all the visible achievements that the AMHARA RESISTANCE brought to all of us living in Ethiopia and abroad.
Let us transform the resistance in to a strong, practical, viable, inclusive, democratic & transparent AMHARA NATIONAL FRONT.
TPLF, OLF and other separatist and genocidal groups if they insist upon pushing their dismemberment anti Ethiopia agenda should know it is no longer the Welkait – Tsegede – Tselemt
issue alone that is reverberating in the eyes and minds of the growing Amhara people’s resistance and national consciousness, but the relentless pressure from TPLF and OLF and other separatist elements might force the growing Amhara discontent to seek its recently lost METEKEL, KESEM BEREHA, ALAMATA, RAYA, CHIFRA, DERRA, KEMBEBIT, ENDAMAHONY, DEBRE LIBANOS, NAZRETH, SETIT-HUMERA, MENAGESHA, DEBREZEIT, ADDISGHE, OFLA, GOHATSIONE, ADDIS ABABA and a lot more others. Amharas, in order to successfully challenge these ethnocentric forces, are already speaking out loud about their ancestral lands that are taken away illegally by force from them and are still under occupation openly without any regrets in order to go forward and assert Amharaness.
Therefore, without adressing such a significant case, talking about the very survival of the Amhara people itself becomes meaningless. But if TPLF, OLF etc. drop such negative and destructive agenda for good, and accept to live and equally share the Ethiopian state with all of its people for peace, stability and common development, then the new Amhara generation is determined to work with a collective responsibility.
We have reached a very critical stage of Ethiopian history. Will the country survive or not? In this volatile time, Amhara peoples’ RESISTANCE IS ALL ABOUT NATURAL RIGHTS, that is to make sure and guarantee the continuity of the future generation, reclaim what belongs to the people & thereby stop extermination. Therefore, there is no doubt that it is the most SACRED as well as CHERISHED goal of all Amhara people. The conspiracy of TPLF/ EPLF led and financed Ginbot7 and OLF that is pointing its finger on Amhara and thereby fulfilling their dream must be foiled by the Amhara resistance that has already began. There is a saying: “A blazing fire must be extinguished before it engulfs everything on its way.”
TPLF with ANDM its mercenary has intensively began speeding up the final touches of completely destroying the traditionally strong Amhara province of Gondar beyond recognition. They have already decided to hand over Metema,Quara,Armachiho,and Chilga including parts of Gondar Zuria districs to the TPLF created, funded, and armed so called Qemant group as a special zone with its own administration and evict all the Amhara by force out of the mentioned areas. This very sinister politico military and economic move will totally push ancestral Amhara territory away from the Sudan border and create the advancing Tigray state to have full control of the mentioned lands.
The move will also finalize the dream of the TPLF manifesto to expand up to Metekel, formerly part of Gojam Amhara and claim the Grand Nile River Dam(Renaissance Dam) as part of Tigray. Such anti Amhara scheme was officially announced by Gedu Andargachew the so called president of
Amhara state in a televised ceremony on January 24, 2017.(for further detail refer to Amhara TV news hour of 24/01/2017).
A personal remark from the author
I am not a politician. I cannot be diplomatic and compromising with those who want to eliminate my identity from the face of the earth. As an Amhara, this paper solely reflects my personal opinion based on the present state of affairs in Ethiopia, and the dangerous nonstop 24/7 propaganda war in the diaspora communities in relation to the question of the Amhara people’s quest for an all inclusive and strong political organization. My notions do not represent or reflect by any means Amhara activists, political organizations, or civic associations which I highly admire & respect. Therefore, the article is intended to provide an introductory insight for foreign readers about the concealed genocide of the Amhara people under the rule of the TPLF. I also encourage students of Ethiopian studies who would like to have more information about the crimes that continue to be committed on the Amhara people to refer to the 2 books mentioned above and if available other related documents on the subject as well. An old friend from back home recently said to me by phone:
“Listen to the voices of the new and determined Amhara generation. They are LOUDLY SAYING I AM AMHARA! WE ARE AMHARAS! WE ALL ARE PROUD AMHARAS! Amhara Resistance is born not with a nationalist agenda. But it is to stop Tigryan fascism and defend Amharas from an all-out extermination. All Amharas must protect the Resistance from opportunistic hijackers like ESAT and Ginbot7. Amharas must reclaim back all territories they lost by force, that is indisputable.”
Finally, since TPLF seized power, the Orthodox church of the country was and is led by two patriarchs. Both the late and the present are handpicked Tigryans. As a result, the church no longer serves God and its followers. It has become the TPLF’s organ of false propaganda and machination. On January 18, 2017 during the commencement of Ketera or eve of Epiphany in Addis Ababa, the patriarch said: (source EBC 01/18/17 evening 8pm news)
“We celebrate Ketera today because there is peace, justice and unity in our country.”
In today’s Ethiopia, political and religious leadership are openly characterized by flagrant lies. What else can I say? I leave the rest to all readers
Abinet Hunegnaw,
January, 2017
The Tigrayan-led regime has been intensifying its terrorizing and massacring of the Oromo people all over Oromia, including children, the elderly, and pregnant women. At the same time, the regime is denying medical and other services for those who have been shot, mutilated and seriously injured by the Agazi and other security forces to break the spirit of the people and crush the Oromo movement. As a result, thousands of Oromo are suffering in prisons and secret concentration camps, and hundreds of Oromo political prisoners have perished due to the lack of adequate food, clothing, healthcare and other essential needs.
When I 
Earlier this month, the T-TPLF announced its plans to sell “Ethiopian Shipping Lines”.
