Ugly racism in the Libya uprising live on TV !!!

Tedla Asfaw


The ugly face of racism once again show its face on world stage in the week long  uprising to topple Muammar Gadaffi. Reports are coming suggesting foreign "mercenaries" fighting for Muammar Gadaffi, most of them black Africans. We watched on Al Jazeera a black man beaten up and dragged to his death. On this confusion many countries, Europeans, Americans and Asians  are taking their own citizens out of Libya by air, sea and land. Where is the African Union ?

Most workers are seen crossing Libya to Egypt or Tunisia but we never saw anyone going to South, Niger, Chad or Sudan for that  matter to Algeria. Most of the  media coverage is on what is going on in the East which is now free from Gadaffi's control. Why not we see  black Africans running for their safety ? As we heard it from DW Amharic today most of them are hiding in their houses because it is dangerous for blacks to come out because they are considered by most Libyans as mercenaries.

This indeed is very tragic. Most of Ethiopians are refugees in Libya.Ethiopian women working as maids currently are under the care of the households they live seems they are safe for now. That as well is not guaranteed.Due to public pressure they might be pushed to face street justice including rape..

The passport displayed on Al Jazeera includes many passports carried by Ethiopians. From DW interview we heard most of them were dragged from their apartments beaten up and showed to the world as  mercenaries. We also heard many Ethiopians killed by angry mob in Benghazi.

Muammar Gadafi haters are taking revenge on black Africans for money Gadafi threw  for many African dictators. The mob attacked and killed many Africans including Ethiopians for being only black. This is not acceptable and we have to alert Human Right, and Amnesty International to investigate all  who are paraded as "mercenaries" on Al Jazeera. Al Jazeera should also tone  down unconfirmed report and endanger black Africans at this dangerous moment. Ethiopians have no representative government who cares for our refugees. If in fact Ethiopia sends mercenaries Meles Zenawi  will never admit it because it will accelerate his own downfall.

However, Ethiopians in Diaspora have responsibility to represent fellow Ethiopians at this deadly moment and rally behind them, they are crying for help. We know no one is in charge of Libya right now.It is street rule until all settled down I am afraid this uprising will take the lives of many black Africans including  many Ethiopians. If there are "mercenaries" it seems to me now they are only black Africans, that is absurd. Gadaffi's money can buy a lot of mercenaries, black,white, brown and yellow. Who is now flying Gadaffis plane and helicopters, are they also black Africans ?

Muammar Gadaffi is ready to take Libya down with him, unfortunately, many black Africans who are caught in this mess will go down with him. Their death is only because for being black in a wrong country. The tragedy is most of them left their country for safety and faced detention and racism in Libya.Most who were in detention their situation  might even be worst. We have obligation to speak on their behalf by sharing any information we got about them.

The lynching and killing that is going on against black Africans in Libya will sure further divide the Arabs from the rest of Africa. The Arab League should speak against racist killing and accusations.They should sanction and condemn not only Gadaffi but also all who are killing black Africans. President Obama who urged  African Union to play its role to  stop the killing in Libya should be informed  also that black Africans are  a target of racist killing in Libya by Libyans mob.

Jawar Mohammed as a defender of Meles Zenawi ?

Tedla Asfaw

I heard Jawar Mohammed with Lidetu Ayalew and Dr. Hailu Araya discussing on DW, Feb 20, the role of opposition parties in TPLF ruled Ethiopia.I totally disagree with Jawar accusing the oppositions for not using the "narrow opening" given by TPLF. Where is the right of our people for free assembly, speech ? Is Jawar blaming Ethiopians for shutting their mouth too ? It is really sad defending TPLF at this moment of popular uprising in North Africa, East Africa and Middle East, when the masses rise up breaking decades of fear to topple tyrants and be in charge of their own destiny.

It is too little too late to beg Meles Zenawi as Jawar did. The mass uprising is the only option. We are not waiting for the next fake election in 2015 as suggested by Jawar. He is trying to defend the dying regime of Meles Zenawi that will soon be dumped to the dustbin of history like Ben Ali, Mubarak soon Muammar Gadaffi the butcher of Benghazi who is now on the genocide mission to take down Libya with him. Only few cry for the demise of Meles Zenawi. Jawar is on this camp unfortunately. Muammar Gadaffi will have also some who cry for him,however, the Libyans liberation is not far and Ethiopians are not far too. We can and we will !!!!

Tahrir Square spirit turns to Bahrain's Death Square !!!!

Tedla Asfaw


The Bahrain Sunni minority tribal regime sent its tribal killers last night to shoot and kill protesters at Pearl Square which is in fact nothing like its name but a Death Square. The youth of Bahrain who are calling for freedom and end of  discrimination for a majority of Shias by a minority Sunni Monarchy were  motivated by the Tahrir Square uprising. They peacefully gathered,children, women, young and old for another peaceful night.

Bahrain sent  its security forces which are recruited from foreign nationals to keep the two hundred years Monarchy alive into deadly rampage similar to the Tiananmen Square killing in China in the 1980s. These were not peoples army like Egypt or Tunisia who hold on their guns and never fired to the people. Bahrain security forces are hired killers loyal to the King and the king who is billed as a reformer by the West is now naked for all to see that he  is just another oil crazed tyrant who care less for human life.

Bahrain is the home of US navy that  controls the flow of oil in that region. The  wider Arab public once again learnt that USA cares less for freedom than cheap oil and base to secure its own national interest. The American Journalist from ABC who was beaten up last night at the Pearl Square described the brutality of the security forces and we will soon  be hearing from USA the usual call for peaceful rally,protecting journalists  but not a call for accountability. We would like to hear from now on for Obama condemning the Bahrain security forces and call not to shoot again like he demanded from Egyptian army.

The doctor from the hospital was describing the ammunition that were used to kill four of the people and injured hundreds of them on BBC. The bullets once entered body will be broken into tiny pieces to cause maximum damages. We would like to know who gave the order to use such ammunition on peaceful innocents ?

The barbaric nature of the minority tribal regime use of force in Pearl/Death Square in Bahrain is similar to the minority regime of Meles Zenawi atrocity in 2005 after it lost election in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The ammunition then was given by USA and more than 200 of our people lost their lives by close range shooting. We saw the pictures of those killed and the pictures are still fresh in our mind.

The Bahrain Monarchy has lost whatever legitimacy it claims from now on. The  popular revolt by the  masses will continue until the people get freedom. The Popular Tsunami that started in Tunisia, Egypt, Yemen, Algeria, Libya  crossing  Bahrain and will go to Saudi Arabia. The Saudi Monarchy across the border might be behind the brutal tactic used by Bahrain because of fear of similar uprising by the Shias in its own country.

The freedom train will not stop until it reaches its goal. Arabs deserve to live in dignity. Clinging to power claiming divinity, fake election will be the thing of the past. Freedom is not an American or European value it is human value. We all would like to choose our own leaders and decide to choose our own friends.

Ethiopia's Ethnic Prison will be destroyed by popular multi ethnic uprising !!!!

Tedla Asfaw


I read an article on Daily Nation, Wednesday Feb.16, 2011 titled "Ethiopia's bold ethnic-based policies ended decades of bitter conflicts". For those who closely follow Ethiopia, ethnic conflicts in Eastern and Southern Ethiopia of Ogaden and Oromia region in fact have increased since TPLF/EPRDF consolidated its power in mid 1990s.

In the  honeymoon years of early 1990s OLF the Oromo Liberation Front and ONLF the Ogaden National Liberation Front were part of the transition process in writing the constitution without popular participation that legalized ethnic federalism including cessation the first of its kind in Africa. The ruling TPLF which claims to represent the Tigray region knows very well that power only comes by controlling  the rich natural resources of South Ethiopia. It has exclusively exploited these resources by organizing the TPLF ethnic wings like OPDO, ANDM, etc. These clients of TPLF have no popular support as it was proven on the stolen election of 2005 and 2010.

When OLF and ONLF challenged the TPLF regime in mid 1990s what they got was not ethnic empowerment the piece on this article claimed but ethnic total war on them and the people they claim represent. The  Oromos and Somalis who do not subscribe to the TPLF ethnic domination were killed and imprisoned. The testimony for this ethnic barbarism can be found by visiting the largest Oromo and Somali's refugees all over the world.

TPLF/EPRDF ethnic based federalism is a way of ruling diverse countries like Ethiopia by building suspicion walls among people while the new rulers who are above any region/Kilil can exploit the rich natural resources of our country to enrich themselves. Fascist Italy tried it on its five year occupation of Ethiopia in the 1930s.Moreover, the two decades of such ethnic federalism brought us the few connected TPLFites  who claim to represent the people of Tigray  from Zero to tons of Wealth.

Foreign aid which is pumped to Ethiopia  around two billion a year did not make any miracle for our people. More than ten million people are still on food aid. Hunger is the only thing which has no ethnic component in present day Ethiopia. It is an equalizer in all ethnic regions. The multi ethnic capital of Ethiopia Addis Ababa's population is now tripling because of hunger,rural poverty and displacement of farmers whose land is sold to foreign landlords as a source of fast cash for TPLF, The  Lord of Ethnic Federalism. Addis which is  a show case for our rich and famous ethnic rulers and those who come for false hope are living side by side. The homeless and beggars who are in hundreds of thousands hardly to miss for any visitor including the writer. They are multi ethnic casualties of  ethnic federalism partly.

Make no mistake on the early years of ethnic federalism many poor Amharas were killed by TPLF ethnic wings and forced to leave the land their ancestors lived for centuries. TPLF/EPRDF had ignited its Hutu VS  Tutsis war way before the Rwanda genocide. However, the Ethiopian people were not part of this war and ethnic cleansing on the level of Yugoslavia  had failed to materialize.

This article rosy picture of ethnic federalism under TPLF/EPRDF has  wisely avoided who the real power holder on the present day so called Federal Ethiopia. Power is on the hands of few people, TPLF who claim to represent the people of Tigray. The  rest is pure ethnic cosmetics. The May 2005 election had given its verdict on this  failed policy of ethnic federalism because it is neither ethnic nor federalism. It is power and resources for the very few and the people they claim representing are not even a beneficiary of this accumulation of power and wealth.

Ethiopia is a home of nations and nationalities and their aspiration to empower themselves in united Ethiopia has been hijacked since 1991. The million people march in May 2005 in Addis Ababa  had made it clear for all that fifteen years of ethnic federalism experiment was rejected. Since then however Ethiopia is a prison for all those who want to rule themselves and empower their people in a free and transparent election. It is only in a country where people are free to assemble, speak and write can empower themselves by voting for accountable regime. Ethnic based federalism will be put for referendum in a democracy and what we have to do first,however, is remove the ethnic warlords from Ethiopia by multi ethnic mass uprising. Yes we can and we will !!!!