Finote Radio on Ethio-Sudan Border Committee

Tedla Asfaw Date: Monday, June 30, 2008, 2:16 PM On  June 29 Finote Radio reported that the Ethio-Sudan Border Committee in  North America can not help the peasants who are battling the Sudan militias because "it is infiltrated  by TPLF/woyane". The radio,however, failed to give names of those who are working for TPLF and I personally contacted one of the members of the committee  after I read similar allegation on the Debteraw site and the person totally rejects such accusation. Currently no one is organizing any support for the displaced Ethiopians from our western front  and the campaign to discredit the Ethio-Sudan Committee without doing their part to support the people diplomatically or otherwise is just to let TPLF and Sudan accelerate their demarcation without any opposition. If there are bad apples in the committee we have to expose it with facts and if there are other Ethiopians who are organizing and defending our people let us hear from each and one of them too. Before VOA Amharic reporting last month nobody even discussed about the land transaction and come to defend our people and the rush now to discredit those who are still doing something is unacceptable. Any opposition party who is not on the for front with the people in this decisive struggle can not call itself as people party by only reporting the story and that job is the job of journalists not political parities.

Finote Radio on Ethio-Sudan Border Commitee

Tedla Asfaw Date: Monday, June 30, 2008, 2:16 PM On  June 29 Finote Radio reported that the Ethio-Sudan Border Committee in  North America can not help the peasants who are battling the Sudan militias because "it is infiltrated  by TPLF/woyane". The radio,however, failed to give names of those who are working for TPLF and I personally contacted one of the members of the committee  after I read similar allegation on the Debteraw site and the person totally rejects such accusation. Currently no one is organizing any support for the displaced Ethiopians from our western front  and the campaign to discredit the Ethio-Sudan Committee without doing their part to support the people diplomatically or otherwise is just to let TPLF and Sudan accelerate their demarcation without any opposition. If there are bad apples in the committee we have to expose it with facts and if there are other Ethiopians who are organizing and defending our people let us hear from each and one of them too. Before VOA Amharic reporting last month nobody even discussed about the land transaction and come to defend our people and the rush now to discredit those who are still doing something is unacceptable. Any opposition party who is not on the for front with the people in this decisive struggle can not call itself as people party by only reporting the story and that job is the job of journalists not political parities.

Call it by its true name, Famine not food problem !!

Tedla Asfaw



I read a commentary by Chege Mbitiru of Daily Nation (Nairobi, Kenya June 23) which characterizes the Ethiopian Famine as a "food problem" and accusing the editor of Addisvoice.com who wrote recently "Why is the emperor hiding our hunger?" of insulting Meles Zenawi.

Moreover the writer seems to be angry at Adissu, "Ministry of Agriculture" which I preferred to call him "Ministry of Rain" who still wait for the rain to come and if the rain does not come in the next month or two he might call for more aid until then we just call it "food shortage" and warned the international community not to exaggerate the crisis as ordered by the emperor, Meles Zenawi.

The emaciating children photos is not coming as it should be for all of us to see because the starving children are buried beyond  the rich of any media and as we all know there is no free media in Ethiopia. Villagers are burying their kids secretly without angering the emperor servants.  All the information we got of dying children are those that come out from very few  shelters and  many are dying in their villages quietly as we speak.

Yesterday on www.addisdimts.com (June 22) two callers from"Welayeta", South Ethiopia gave their eyewitness account on what is going on in their villages. Famine is  devastating their villages and there is nothing to eat and children are quietly dying and no picture is coming out and Mr. Mbitiru treating this as"food problem"  in defense of Meles Zenawi is just uncalled for.

"Parents are burying their children not to anger the regime cadres in the famine area" according to the interview on www.addisdimts.com  and if this comes out on a television screen that might be the end of "our emperor" Mr. Mbitiru is defending on his commentary by underestimating Ethiopia's famine as a "food problem" similarly faced by the 800 million people worldwide he reported.

I would like to ask the writer, how many children's death per day per total population can be reported as "Famine". I can tell the writer any  independent journalist can expose this for the world community if he or she has got access to all areas of Ethiopia affected by famine.

 Meles Zenawi has total monopoly on the news like it has on our hunger and that is why Addis Voice comes with the title,  "why  the emperor is hiding our hunger ?" Mind you this is a regime with the help of China is jamming VOA and German Amharic unsuccessfully. Journalists  from these stations broke this story  for Ethiopians by going to various  feeding stations run by humanitarian agencies in South Ethiopia. Without their reporting we might not even debate here "food problem" or famine.

The emperor has reason to hide this hunger with full cooperation of USA and UK. Both USA and UK  are the  supporters and financiers of of Meles currently working overtime for a regime change in Zimbabwe accusing Mugabe among other things of denying aid for starving Zimbabweans. What a double standard?

Why the same is not said about Ethiopia  is not hard to grasp. If they wish the Ambassador of USA and UK in Ethiopia can travel to the affected areas and talk to the starving people. We have seen efforts by the government officials of these countries shooting pictures of Mugabe opponents beaten up and similar effort is expected of them to show the starving children of Ethiopia if they would like to be remembered by Ethiopians as someone who went beyond politics and save lives.

Had we have a country run by a rule of law not by an emperor above the law we would have saved many lives with little  outside help and take our country out of  famine cycle  using our river potential the writer mentioned . We can replace the" Ministry of Rain" with "Ministry of Irrigation" and remove our country's name from the encyclopedia of famine forever and for that to happen  we can not see the current famine in isolation to the tyranny in Ethiopia, "emperor" or otherwise.

Open letter to Somaliland Representative in USA

Tedla Asfaw

Dear Somaliland Representative in USA,

On June 18  you were  on www.voanews.com/tvtoafrica with other panelist from Uganda New York VOA's studio to discuss the lack of free, transparent and accountable government and I enjoyed  following your analysis.

However, for a comment I made about Ethiopia on phone you were very cautious to comment. The host Shaqa even pressed you, why  Ethiopia currently starving  millions of its people spend millions for the war in Somalia.

Somaliland might have good relation with Ethiopia's  minority unelected regime and understandably you do not want to comment about Ethiopia fearing a back clash from Melese Zenawi..

Ignoring the fire in your neighbor might be tactically O.K, however, sooner or later it will come to you. Moreover, silence on the killing in Somalia, Ogaden and other parts of Ethiopia is totally against  Somaliland's interest even if you believe everything is OK in Somaliland.

I hope this generation of East Africans speak the truth wherever they are beyond their own narrow interest and I do believe all the countries in the Horn will flourish or die together.


                                                                                                               

                                                                                                                

Open letter to Somaliland Representative in USA

Tedla Asfaw

Dear Somaliland Representative in USA,

On June 18  you were  on www.voanews.com/tvtoafrica with other panelist from Uganda New York VOA's studio to discuss the lack of free, transparent and accountable government and I enjoyed  following your analysis.

However, for a comment I made about Ethiopia on phone you were very cautious to comment. The host Shaqa even pressed you, why  Ethiopia currently starving  millions of its people spend millions for the war in Somalia.

Somaliland might have good relation with Ethiopia's  minority unelected regime and understandably you do not want to comment about Ethiopia fearing a back clash from Melese Zenawi..

Ignoring the fire in your neighbor might be tactically O.K, however, sooner or later it will come to you. Moreover, silence on the killing in Somalia, Ogaden and other parts of Ethiopia is totally against  Somali Land's interest even if you believe everything is OK in Somali Land.

I hope this generation of East Africans speak the truth wherever they are beyond their own narrow interest and I do believe all the countries in the Horn will flourish or die together.


                                                                                                               

                                                                                                                

New brand of leadership in Africa ?

Tedla Asfaw

Dear host of Straight Talk Africa Shaqa,

I would like to focus on East Africa here to discuss "new brand of leadership" you are discussing today. This term" new breed of leaders in Africa" was coined  during the first term of Clinton administration to welcome the newly armed rebels turn leaders. Leaders  of Eritrea, Ethiopia and Uganda and they were praised on their "new vision" for Africa and they are still on power, some of them breaking records for staying in power than the one they chased out.

After two decades all the leaders of these countries failed miserably in bringing the rule of law or fair and free election on their countries. Here I rather take Isaias as honest for not seen as someone who is in office by the will of the people. He said he will be on power as long as he breaths that means only natural death will bring a change of government in Eritrea. Kenya who many believed as the hope of East Africa shows its tribal face in the last December election and the thousands displaced are still in the refugee camps somewhere even if there is a deal between the two groups fought deadly after the election and now both enjoyed power at this time.

Raila Odinga's visit to USA is a follow up of that crisis and until there is a reconciliation in the communities and the return of the displaced we can not talk about new leadership here. The same can be said in the rest of the Horn countries and in fact our region will be better of with the current dictators  replaced by new accountable leaders and start reconciliation at local and regional level.

Kenya as a center of business for foreign countries got timely help from West and the crisis seems contained for now. However, we are not sure what to come in the future and the instability in Ethiopia, Somalia has great impact in addition to their own tribal enmity and I hope the future leaders of East Africa think in a regional level by also addressing their own internal problems fairly and equitably..

                                                                                                                                           

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     

A call to forge unity

Tedla Asfaw

Dr. Ojulu, an Ethiopian from the Gambella area on Finote Radio short interview (June13) described the areas that are handed to Sudan. He said that  roads are being paved to connect lands Sudan got from Ethiopia with other Sudan villages and to finalize the take over and secure them possibly for a showdown with the resistant movement on the area. To facilitate the take over, TPLF has promised to electrify these areas for Sudan and increase its barrel of oil receiving bonus from Sudan on top of large sum of money to be deposited on the foreign account of Melese and the other thieves.  Ojulu when asked what the opposition should do his answer was simple and unambiguous, just fight. Stop accusing Ethiopian opposition as secessionist, I have no doubt in my mind he means OLF and ONLF and forge alliance to challenge TPLF by force of arm and stop the bleeding of Ethiopia. Ojulu brought the known donkey saying, "Ene Kemotku Serdo Ayebkele" a country which is not led by me/TPLF is condemned and should perish. Ojulu said the current rush to give land to Sudan  shows that TPLF is close to its death and forging alliance today will facilitate their burial ceremony.

Fwd: Remove TPLF by joint force of arm!!

Tedla Asfaw An  elderly Ethiopian man who participated on the first secret demarcation chaired by Mesfiin Seyume, Addissu Legesse (VOA June 12 Amharic) clip posted on www.abbaymedia.com, said  that the secret deal started a year before the 2005 Ethiopian election in Sudan. However, it was stopped  following the election crisis and now is in full gear to hand over Ethiopian land by displacing more than one hundred thousands of farmers in Gonder area. The Sudan presidential adviser told us also on VOA Straight Talk Africa last Wednesday  similar taking of what he called , "Historically Ethiopian Administered" lands in Gambela, www.abbaymedia.com, that belonged to Sudan. What is happening in North of Ethiopia is repeated in South Ethiopia while the country's famine is taking the lives of our children and many Ethiopians go to bed without food. USA and UK are encouraging the regime to increase its military budget to fight wars in all fronts while they take care of the food crisis to stop popular uprising which might topple the regime. similar  to that of the  February Ethiopian Revolution in early 70s. The secret deal of Beshir and Melese is now on implementation level believing Ethiopians and the world community will be destructed by hunger, war in Ogaden and Somalia. Melese and Beshir know very well this window of opportunity should not be missed that is why Seyume Mesfin is shuttling to  Sudan officially and secretly and was also seen in Gambella with South Sudanese officials in the so called "Cooperation with South Sudan". Currently Sudan is subsidizing Ethiopia's huge  oil demand and this was one of the revealing disclosure of yesterday's VOA interview. "If Ethiopian elders sign this deal to give Ethiopian lands to Sudan, Ethiopia will get oil from our friendly Sudan" however, these brave men rejected the land for oil deal, Seyume and Addissu have to bring their own people to sign a paper. This brave man also confirmed to us the armed resistance to eject the Sudan militias is underway in North and I have no doubt down in South on our western front the armed resistance will continue too. The question now is who is standing for Ethiopia on our Western front? Those who are accusing ONLF as separatist should not expect them to fight on the Western front far from their area of operation. However, OLF should help the people in this war to eject the Sudan militia in south of Ethiopia  and the denouncing of Sudan's invasion by OLF spoke man recently is a good sign and it is time for OLF to join hands with other Ethiopian forces. The armed resistance in Gonder area whatever name we gave it is  fighting with the people to defend our land from Sudan militias and TPLF forces and this was  revealed also on this interesting interview. Who is who in this struggle is clear here. Simply put it, Ethiopian nationalist forces against Sudan and TPLF.. Ethiopia is squeezed from its western front by Sudan by Melese's secret deal and to reverse this deal armed uprising is a must. On the eastern front and south we should give support for OLF and ONLF on their military operation to liberate Ethiopian land from TPLF killing machine. It is only when we remove Melese's TPLF we will talk about our problem in Oromia and Ogaden  or Sudan's "land claim".

Development and Demarcation Party of Ethiopia

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.

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.

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.

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..

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.