Tedla Asfaw
Meleskatchew Amha of VOA Amharic(June 10) went to Southern Ethiopia Oromia region where he witnessed the suffering of children in the middle of vast area of corn ready to harvest. The feeding center currently helps those children who came to the center with the help of their parents by traveling long distance sometimes taking month.
The humanitarian center saved lot of lives and at the same time unknown number of children died. Those children who got the clearance will go back to their home with no guarantee of food and the case of one mother story seems what most families are expected to face. This mother is thankful that her child who came close to death now is going home. But she has a large family of thirteen and they do not have any income to support their families or food aid and that is scary.
There is no guarantee that this child or other member of the family like many in that community will have food or water. I heard on the radio also they have to pay for clean water never heard of such thing in the rural part of Ethiopia I know. Who is profiting from sale of water and where are the so called government representatives of the region?
Is this what President Girma's self administration of all regions he boasted with plenty of food, water and electricity few weeks ago in VOA Amharic? Can the president himself come down and see on his own eye the self administration he was talking about which is none existent and the region cadres failed the people miserably and expose to whole wold that Ethiopians are left to die quietly in Oromia and Ogaden region.
The World Food Program(WFP) estimate of the hungry is now doubled from its first estimate and 4.5 millions Ethiopians need emergency food aid and it is now expected to bring in tons of food to Ethiopia before the crisis goes out of control this July. USA and UK the sponsor of the current regime are forced to give more money because the world community start seeing dying children in their mother chest and it ashamed them.
This is not new to Ethiopia. What new now is the West try to downplay this hunger by connecting it to international food shortage and price hike. I remember the early 1970s drought in north Ethiopia and we have plenty of food in other parts and we all got angry and sad why the Imperial regime failed to deliver food to those areas. This time however in all regions of Ethiopia the majority of them went to bed empty stomach and for this Somalia and Ethiopia are holding the record even beating Eritrea.
Why we do not see starving and dying Eritrean children ? maybe because they have no "democracy" like that of Ethiopia. The reason is Eritrea is run by one man and many yes men who know their job very well among which is to feed their people. However, Ethiopia is run by an actor/supporting actors performing on a parliament floor and they forget the masses with their misery believing that if the worst comes the international community which is subscribing to their performance will bring in emergency aid.
They are right, food shipment is on the way and the drama will continue. TPLF which is proudly calling itself a "development party" or can call it too a "demarcation party" though failed miserably with Eritrea is working hard to succeed in our western front using the current starvation as diversionary tactics.
If we have a free press we could have exposed the food crisis way before it took the lives of many of our children and we should not have waited until it is too late to be told by VOA Amharic. If we live in democracy we should have called the regime to resign and the only choice we have is to help those charities who are saving many lives and at the same time not to repeat such cycle of famine we have to unite to establish a country run by elected and accountable representatives of the people not self made actor or actors.
Wednesday, 11 June 2008
Tuesday, 10 June 2008
Famine in Ethiopia !!
Tedla Asfaw
You can call it famine, hunger or starvation and it is taking the lives of our children as we speak. We have a plan to take advantage of the large crowd that will be gathering in D.C in USA for soccer at the end of this month and raise money for those organization who have good record of humanitarian service in Ethiopia.
At the same time we will also protest the huge fertile land that is handed to Sudan by secret deal between Melese and Bashir which has displaced our people from Metema all way to Gambella as reported on VOA and German Amharic A country like Ethiopia that lost millions of people in previous famine could not exchange a fertile land for Sudan's oil. Land and water is our national security and we should give also moral and financial support for those who are currently battling Sudan's and TPLF forces in Gonder area.
Raising money immediately for starving Ethiopians is our responsibility,however, we should not see it in isolation from the current political and economic crisis in Ethiopia. The current regime of TPLF should be exposed for all the lies of economic growth and for not debating this starvation on its own parliament and Melese Zenawi should resign for deliberately misinforming the Ethiopian people a month ago.
We should also ask simple question, how comes a country who can not feed its own people spends money in an illegal war in Somalia and how comes the allies of TPLF especially UK and USA that are bombarding us about Mugabe starving his people failed to see this much bigger hunger in Ethiopia?
A government who can not feed its people whether it is pro or anti-West is not a government and Ethiopians in Diaspora should call for a regime change by mass protest in all corners of Ethiopia.
You can call it famine, hunger or starvation and it is taking the lives of our children as we speak. We have a plan to take advantage of the large crowd that will be gathering in D.C in USA for soccer at the end of this month and raise money for those organization who have good record of humanitarian service in Ethiopia.
At the same time we will also protest the huge fertile land that is handed to Sudan by secret deal between Melese and Bashir which has displaced our people from Metema all way to Gambella as reported on VOA and German Amharic A country like Ethiopia that lost millions of people in previous famine could not exchange a fertile land for Sudan's oil. Land and water is our national security and we should give also moral and financial support for those who are currently battling Sudan's and TPLF forces in Gonder area.
Raising money immediately for starving Ethiopians is our responsibility,however, we should not see it in isolation from the current political and economic crisis in Ethiopia. The current regime of TPLF should be exposed for all the lies of economic growth and for not debating this starvation on its own parliament and Melese Zenawi should resign for deliberately misinforming the Ethiopian people a month ago.
We should also ask simple question, how comes a country who can not feed its own people spends money in an illegal war in Somalia and how comes the allies of TPLF especially UK and USA that are bombarding us about Mugabe starving his people failed to see this much bigger hunger in Ethiopia?
A government who can not feed its people whether it is pro or anti-West is not a government and Ethiopians in Diaspora should call for a regime change by mass protest in all corners of Ethiopia.
Monday, 9 June 2008
Ethiopian Diaspora for Truth.
Tedla Asfaw
I followed Ato Mekonnen Kassa's interview with Teffera Gedamu of Ethiopian TV and was angered for Mekonnen using " few extremists" in Diaspora many times in this short interview to condemn persons like me and others who are trying our best to expose the crime committed by TPLF by organizing a rally, speak on medias and work on internet to spread the truth.
TPLF has many outlets in diaspora to tell its own lie and blaming EPRDF for not doing enough PR by Ato Mekonnen is inaccurate. While our people are starving and pictures of children are seen on TV screen world wide after we were told by Melese Zenawi in his own parliament only few city dwellers are suffering because of sky rocketing food prices just few weeks ago that reality will not change even if you spend millions of dollars on PR as suggested by Ato Mekonnen.
Ato Mekonnen Kassa, a member of EPRDF which I call it recently "Ethiopian People Re Demarcation Front" has not said a word on this interview to his birth place Gonder's land given to Sudan under secret deal between his party and Sudan, his exile home for four years. Let the Gonder people tell us from what back ground Ato Mekonnen has come from. I hope not from those who were collaborators of fascist Italy, "bandas" during our people liberation struggle seventy years ago. The interview unfortunately started from "red terror" Derg's time when Mekonnen claims he was nineteen and we would have known much better about him if he had told us his family history and the way he was raised up.
I followed Ato Mekonnen Kassa's interview with Teffera Gedamu of Ethiopian TV and was angered for Mekonnen using " few extremists" in Diaspora many times in this short interview to condemn persons like me and others who are trying our best to expose the crime committed by TPLF by organizing a rally, speak on medias and work on internet to spread the truth.
TPLF has many outlets in diaspora to tell its own lie and blaming EPRDF for not doing enough PR by Ato Mekonnen is inaccurate. While our people are starving and pictures of children are seen on TV screen world wide after we were told by Melese Zenawi in his own parliament only few city dwellers are suffering because of sky rocketing food prices just few weeks ago that reality will not change even if you spend millions of dollars on PR as suggested by Ato Mekonnen.
Ato Mekonnen Kassa, a member of EPRDF which I call it recently "Ethiopian People Re Demarcation Front" has not said a word on this interview to his birth place Gonder's land given to Sudan under secret deal between his party and Sudan, his exile home for four years. Let the Gonder people tell us from what back ground Ato Mekonnen has come from. I hope not from those who were collaborators of fascist Italy, "bandas" during our people liberation struggle seventy years ago. The interview unfortunately started from "red terror" Derg's time when Mekonnen claims he was nineteen and we would have known much better about him if he had told us his family history and the way he was raised up.
At the present time, the land of Tewodros and Yohanese is given on silver plate to Sudan, millions of our people are starving thanks to Ato Mekonene's party and the time to mobilize our people and remove TPLF should go on and no PR or one thousand supporters organized under Ato Mekonen Kassa with plenty alleged Phd's will stop we the "extremists" in the Diaspora from standing with millions of our people for justice and truth..
Wednesday, 4 June 2008
Sudan's Badme??
Tedla Asfaw
On " Ethiopia Zare" Ato Seye Abraha one of the founders of TPLF who is now an independent man who is well known for leading the war for evicting Isaias' soldiers from Badme ten years ago wrote a thirteen pages account accusing the current regime of Ethiopia of hiding even from its own parliament the secret deal which was going on for seven years fearing that the public might rise up to defend its sovereignty similar to the Badme war that surely will end the rule of TPLF/EPRDF.
As a member of a transition government/TPLF early in the 1990s Ato Seye said that he and Tamrat layene currently in jail went to Sudan for visit and they were greeted by well organized effort which includes maps and literature some surely include the PHD thesis many Sudanese worked that was reported on professor Mesfin's interview with VOA while ago.
Sudan was ready for pay back time for their many years of destabilizing Ethiopia and did not waste time. They demanded from the visiting Ethiopians to sign a boarder agreement and according to Ato Seye they turned down the request because that was beyond their capacity and went on to discuss other matters.
Ato Seye also confirmed this part of Ethiopia has been abandoned by Derg/Ethiopian defense forces for many years and many farm lands were also uncultivated and taking advantage of the regime change in Ethiopia, Sudan sent its soldiers to kill and destroy our farmers properties who have been farming after TPLF took power.
The effort to start dialogue early on by sending representatives escorted by armed officers to Sudan ended up in death. Continuing on their part to cleanse the area, our "kind brotherly" Sudan that Melese Zenawi defended few weeks ago on his own parliament are killing, burning properties and taking many hostages in Sudan at this time.
The 1995/1996 action by TPLF forces finally secured this part of Ethiopia according to Melese a Sudanese land which is currently under Sudan militias thanks to his secret deal with Beshir. Thanks to VOA and German Amharic Ethiopians know what is going on and our people resistance and opposition is gaining momentum and surely a fight for liberation of Ethiopian land is a prime concern for all the Ethiopian movement.
The recent twenty eight Ethiopian political,civic and religious organization letter to Sudan's Beshir demands polite response before a vicious war opens on the Western part of Ethiopia. Sudan believed that this time will never come again. The current regime is fighting wars in all fronts including Somalia and another famine is in making in Ethiopia and Sudan thinks Ethiopia is weak.
Sure Ethiopians are poor and weak in the eyes of Sudan that is now profiting from its oil revenue but has its own war. Darfur and the current clash between North and South will not make Sudan strong either and history also favors Ethiopia. Ethiopians have not submitted for any force be it white or Black/Arabs led invasion and that however is not true for Sudan.
Mistake that was made by Isaias of Eritrea ten years ago is now being made by Beshir of Sudan believing that Ethiopians are weak and divided and as Seye said on his piece in Amharic which I recommend for all to read, www.ethiomedia.com, when it comes to our sovereignty nothing will stop us. I might add that TPLF can not stop Ethiopians to defend their land and if the TPLF soldiers wish to join the Sudanese army we have no choice but to fight both of them.
On " Ethiopia Zare" Ato Seye Abraha one of the founders of TPLF who is now an independent man who is well known for leading the war for evicting Isaias' soldiers from Badme ten years ago wrote a thirteen pages account accusing the current regime of Ethiopia of hiding even from its own parliament the secret deal which was going on for seven years fearing that the public might rise up to defend its sovereignty similar to the Badme war that surely will end the rule of TPLF/EPRDF.
As a member of a transition government/TPLF early in the 1990s Ato Seye said that he and Tamrat layene currently in jail went to Sudan for visit and they were greeted by well organized effort which includes maps and literature some surely include the PHD thesis many Sudanese worked that was reported on professor Mesfin's interview with VOA while ago.
Sudan was ready for pay back time for their many years of destabilizing Ethiopia and did not waste time. They demanded from the visiting Ethiopians to sign a boarder agreement and according to Ato Seye they turned down the request because that was beyond their capacity and went on to discuss other matters.
Ato Seye also confirmed this part of Ethiopia has been abandoned by Derg/Ethiopian defense forces for many years and many farm lands were also uncultivated and taking advantage of the regime change in Ethiopia, Sudan sent its soldiers to kill and destroy our farmers properties who have been farming after TPLF took power.
The effort to start dialogue early on by sending representatives escorted by armed officers to Sudan ended up in death. Continuing on their part to cleanse the area, our "kind brotherly" Sudan that Melese Zenawi defended few weeks ago on his own parliament are killing, burning properties and taking many hostages in Sudan at this time.
The 1995/1996 action by TPLF forces finally secured this part of Ethiopia according to Melese a Sudanese land which is currently under Sudan militias thanks to his secret deal with Beshir. Thanks to VOA and German Amharic Ethiopians know what is going on and our people resistance and opposition is gaining momentum and surely a fight for liberation of Ethiopian land is a prime concern for all the Ethiopian movement.
The recent twenty eight Ethiopian political,civic and religious organization letter to Sudan's Beshir demands polite response before a vicious war opens on the Western part of Ethiopia. Sudan believed that this time will never come again. The current regime is fighting wars in all fronts including Somalia and another famine is in making in Ethiopia and Sudan thinks Ethiopia is weak.
Sure Ethiopians are poor and weak in the eyes of Sudan that is now profiting from its oil revenue but has its own war. Darfur and the current clash between North and South will not make Sudan strong either and history also favors Ethiopia. Ethiopians have not submitted for any force be it white or Black/Arabs led invasion and that however is not true for Sudan.
Mistake that was made by Isaias of Eritrea ten years ago is now being made by Beshir of Sudan believing that Ethiopians are weak and divided and as Seye said on his piece in Amharic which I recommend for all to read, www.ethiomedia.com, when it comes to our sovereignty nothing will stop us. I might add that TPLF can not stop Ethiopians to defend their land and if the TPLF soldiers wish to join the Sudanese army we have no choice but to fight both of them.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)