Pearl Square will survive Saudi's occupation !!!

Tedla Asfaw



The Gulf Cooperation Council, GCC, which came into existence in 1981 during the Iraq and Iran bloody war is a collection of eight small countries who are seating down on half of the world oil reserve. When Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait in 1991 claiming it as one of its provinces the GCC financed the liberation of Kuwait. That can be considered as one of its achievements in its 30 years beside financing the ten year war between Iraq and Iran, 1981-1991.

This time however the GCC  threatened by popular uprising in the Middle East and North Africa is lashing out and invaded one of its members, Bahrain, last Monday. Saudi sent more than one thousand of its "liberators"  to Bahrain. The popular uprising in Bahrain that call for freedom and accountability threatened all the GCC nations who are ruled  by corrupt  monarchs.

The Bahrain youth who camped at Pearl Square was under fire by Saudi soldiers last night. Bahrain is now under Saudi occupation like Kuwait in 1991 by Saddam Hussein, there is no difference at all. Saudi's are using helicopters, tanks to chase the protesters from Pearl Square and many were killed.

While the world is struggling to establish a No-Fly Zone over Libya's air space it seems the western powers have declared "No Protest Zone " in the GCC to safe guard the flow of oil. The Saudi invasion followed the recent Bob Gates Secretary of Defense of USA visit to Bahrain. Has USA given the green light for Saudi invasion ?, Sure !!!

The legitimate struggle of the people of Bahrain is now taken hostage to sectarian battle between Sunnis and Shias of the wider  Muslim world. Iran which is ruling its Shias by force is accused of supporting the Bahrain uprising by the majority Shias  calling for freedom and end of the Sunni monarchy. Iran rulers have nothing in common with popular uprising in Bahrain, the  struggle for freedom and accountability. Iranian rulers are killing and jailing protesters like the Sunni monarchs in Bahrain too.

In fact the Sunni Monarchs of the GCC and Iran Shia dictatorship have one thing in common. Both are unelected corrupt dictatorship who wanted to stay in power by using Shias VS Sunnis card beyond their border. The west who is calling for "freedom" in Iran is saying no to the people of Bahrain in fact  supporting the brutal crack down by their golden silence. No condemnation for the  loss of lives in Bahrain.

The battle for Bahrain is now the last battle of the Gulf monarchs before they are thrown out like Ben Ali of Tunisia and Mubarak of Egypt. Saudi Arabia should have been condemned like Gaddafi if there was justice in our world. Gaddafi is killing its own people to stay in power what Saudi is doing is killing other people to stay in power. When we condone  invasion for our own interest like  it shows that our world is not only suffering from natural catastrophes we are witnessing in Japan but also from man made moral  catastrophe.

The GCC should be called in its true name from its 30 years of survival. It is the" Gulf Corruption Council" that will do everything to keep the wealth of oil under the control of very few while the majority of the people do not deserve any dignity. The Saudi down payment of 37 billion to buy their people shows that these clubs of tyrants will do all, pay and kill to stay in power. They are the worst form of Gaddafi.

The people of Bahrain are paying a heavy price for standing for their rights while USA and Europeans as always looking for secure and cheap oil. The nuclear crisis in Japan will make oil the only best option for  the near future. World is now scared of nuclear  energy and those who control half of oil reserve the GCC nations have to be declared No Protest Zone.

Welcome to the GCC a club of few who are accountable to the rich nations of the world. The people of GCC will be paid or killed if they challenge the monarchs of the GCC. Three months of emergency is declared in Bahrain by Saudi occupation forces. All protests are forbidden and those who did not comply to the GCC tyrants will be dealt like they were dealt in Pearl Square last night from air and ground.

Pearl Square in Bahrain might be cleared from protesters using brute force but GCC led by Saudi Monarchy is now the number one enemy of the people of the Gulf nations and the struggle for freedom will continue. The talk of freedom by the west is truly exposed for what it is. It is about cheap oil controlled by tyrants who are killing people to keep their wealth and power.

Gaddafi must Leave who should stay ?

Tedla Asfaw


It has been one month  since Mubarak of Egypt forced to Leave following the Tahrir Popular Tsunami. Similar popular uprising has been going on in Yemen to remove the USA supported, self proclaimed,  Al Qaeda fighter Saleh who has been in power for more than three decades. Yemenis like Egyptians are pressing their demand for Saleh to go while Saleh is calling for more talks with the protesters. Similar call by Mubarak was ignored by Egyptians until he finally was kicked out one month ago.

United States Ambassador in Yemen is supporting Saleh's call for "dialogue". Street protests which was lately supported by American administration in Egypt is not good in Yemen. The reason is not only for Yemen but it also destabilizes the Saudi monarchy who is trying to buy the shias which consist of ten percent of the population with its surplus cash thanks to high oil price.

USA will not allow the Saudi monarch to be toppled by popular uprising for that it has  to fight the uprising out of Saudi's soil. Bahrain and Yemen both who have oppressed shias are danger for the Saudis. North of Yemen has been on armed revolt by shias who demand freedom and Saudi is siding with the Yemen tyrant to quash this rebellion out of fear of their own shias in the east of Saudi Arabia taking up arms.

The Saudi shias are calling today for the day of rage after the Friday prayer and if USA followed its wisdom in Yemen that is not good for the shias in Saudi Arabia, USA prefers "dialogue". Street protesters in Bahrain, Yemen and Saudi Arabia will topple the USA popped tyrants. It is better to buy time by unending dialogue sweetened by dollar like Saudi tried by down payment of 37 billion dollar. Can we call it, " No Protest Zone" like similar calls made to topple Gaddafi, "No Fly Zone".

While the media is concentrating on the "pickup revolution" of Libya the tyrants in Yemen, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia are portrayed as "good tyrants" who are not killing from air like Gaddafi but can do the job from the ground. What is the difference of gunning down protesters from air or land ?

Gaddafi  was told by Obama to Leave but is not going any where in fact digging for eventual showdown with the West. If Saleh is encouraged to stay why not Gaddafi ? Obama puts itself in a very awkward position. It seems to me only Sarkozy of France who recognized the Benghazi interim administration is doing something a little bit for now. Is there a relationship between Obama's call for Gaddafi to Leave and Sarkozy's recognition of anti Gaddafi administration. Sure one is talking the other is acting. MacDonald and French fries Sarkozy's style.

The pickup revolution of Libya is a disorganized military assault which is neither dialogue which USA supports in case of Yemen nor upheaval like Egypt and Tunisia which the West was forced to accept because defending the dying regime was impossible. Large desert of Libya will not be a picnic for France if it chooses to arm the anti Gaddafi opposition. All Libyans pro and anti Gaddafi say no to foreign forces and France  can only go as "liberator" by transforming the pickup revolution into a well organized desert war supported by air.

Europe has big interest in Libya because of its proximity and its oil resource. Oil under the control of the armed opposition will be protected from air and land to reach its European customer in short time. However, divided Libya will be another Somalia and it is possible especially Egypt will be sucked into this conflict on the way short circuiting the Tahrir uprising.

The Arabs have been cheated by their corrupt rulers to focus on issues outside their borders, Middle East and Afghanistan for years. Egyptians have to empower themselves before empowering their neighbors. Egypt army as it promised has to finish the transition period and go to its barrack. It is only democratically elected government that can decide on policies related to its neighbor.

Libya's pickup revolution has already failed and it will not have any life without outside military involvement. The Arab tyrants wants this crisis to divert attention from their own and  discourage their people from not going to streets. Had the Libyans not resorted to warfare on pickup truck and blame black Africans for their problem they would have got many support like the Egyptians and Tunisians. Blame themselves for their military assault on vast desert with no logistical preparation. This is also a result of 42 years of ethnic division perpetuated by Gaddafi and lack of a well disciplined army like that of Egypt and to some extent in Tunisia.

Nonviolent struggle !!

Tedla Asfaw

Yesterday I was on pro TPLF Paltalk room, Civility Room, in the morning where I heard views of the people who wanted to keep TPLF/EPRDF, the majority, and those of us who wanted change, close to two hundred people attended. A woman, Ogadeni/Ethiopian, with fluent Amharic, described her feeling like some of us why Meles has to go. She described the barbaric atrocity of Ogadenis suffer under Meles security forces. I challenged Meles Zenawi and his Western supporters to recognize before it is too late the right of Ethiopians to assemble freely and what we heard from Meles supporters is not at all encouraging. I also called for the army not to shoot protesters. Will President Obama be with the side of the Ethiopian people ? Time will tell that.

Any kind of gathering is illegal for Meles supporters because rallies in a "Developmental State" like Ethiopia will distract people from developmental path. Jawar Mohamed's piece today on non violent struggle articulated in detail how the non violent struggle should be coordinated and sustained to topple dictators. Meles Zenawi's regime surely is ready to lock up young non Tigreans in mass to preempt this non violent struggle and also to divide people, Tigrans VS others. I wish Jawar commented what we should do in such scenario. His analysis of non violent struggle and what we heard from Eyasu Alemayehu, EPRP leadership, in ECADF Room more than one thousand attendants, yesterday afternoon, is almost identical. Most of us who need change, the young and old, are now speaking in one voice that itself is a victory for our struggle.

The likes of Seye, Lidetu, both Hailus, Merara are hurdles for such struggle in fact will be used by Meles Zenawi. I totally agree with Eyasu Alemayehu the irrelevance of these people and their organizations for non violent struggle, Enough is Enough/Beka. AEUP, UDJP and MEDREK's past record on peaceful struggle to challenge the regime is None and has become even a joke in Western circles, to expect different now is not at all helpful. We have not heard different either rather than preparing for the coming fake election in 2015. I will appreciate in the future Jawar's view on the so called "Election Advocates " who are supported by the West to take the pressure from their ally Meles Zenawi. What Eyasu called them, Fire Brigades of TPLF, "Esate Adega".

My disagreement with Jawar on his recent DW short interview has now rested for good. It was not a personal attack rather questioning his tactic and strategy for a regime change based on a short interview he gave. I and many of us now clearly see the difference between Jawar and Lidetu Ayalew. Jawar is indeed for regime change while the so called legal oppositions in Ethiopia are for Election Business without any regime change. Meles will allow these "oppositions/leaders" to get few seats to bring back the parliament of 2005-2010. However, Ethiopia's problem will not be tackled from ten minutes speech in the name of our people by the very few. Those speeches fell on deaf ear and TPLF/EPRDF ruled as if they were not there. The current "opposition" leaders have also lost any legitimacy in the eye of our people. Leaders who are scared of bringing their supporters out for any cause are not to be called leaders at all. No one is waiting for 2015 fake election, we have to mobilize our people for Right to Assemble and Speak Now !!!!!

Re: Open letter to Russian TV in USA

Dear RT USA producers,


I was watching RT USA news at 11am EST this morning. The RT journalist had discussion with a Libyan expatriate. The journalist was asking his guest about "black" mercenaries who are gunning down Libyans. His guest explained to him this is not black VS white but criminals who are supporting Gadaffi.

RT journalist is repeating what we heard from Al Jazeera English accusing "black mercenaries from Africa " killing for Gadaffi. Blacks from Sub Sahara Africa are paraded on live TV accused of being mercenaries. Such labelling of Blacks have now put all Black Africans in great danger in fact many are killed.

I heard family members who went out to buy food beaten up and dragged to be killed by Libyan mobs in Benghazi and Tripoli. To be black in Libya is a death sentence that is unacceptable. Responsible journalist should refrain from labelling "black" as mercenaries. Today on BBC Worldhaveyoursay program the Ghanaian foreign minster was asked by Ghanaians whose lives are endangered never come out to buy food for their families fearing beating and killing in Tripoli.

I am asking RT like I asked Al Jazeera not to inflame the situation by accusing the black race as mercenaries. I challenge you to accuse the mercenaries from East Europe, Tunisia, Algeria and Egypt to label as "Whites". The fact of the matter is South Libya is inhabited by black people who are Libyans. Are you taking away their citizenship ? Are they considered as Libyans or only refereed as blacks ? This is indeed double tragedy for all black daily laborers from sub Sahara Africa who are treated as less than human. What a shame if this uprising  ended by dividing Libyans by ethnicity and color that Gadaffi used effectively to rule for 42 years.

I  wrote two days ago to  human right organizations pleading on behalf of fellow black Africans who are left on their own while the rest of the world is picking up their own people. African countries except Ghana are doing nothing. Shame on them too.

Thanks,

Tedla Asfaw

New York City