The human cost of this episode has been damn too high.
Totally. It seems pointless.
It should also be understood with the a deeper sense of time. Since the OromoProtests (whose public effect started being felt in earnest from 2015’sh), there has been a state of political instability in ET. Abiy himself was not aligned with the protesters (in fact he was neck deep in the TPLF controlled EPRDF as a minister of Science & Tech + deputy director of their Information Intelligence (NSA for comparisons or GCHQ). He jumped ship and got into the crowning moment of the changes in government that took place early 2018. He might mean well for ET, but he lacked a political base. Since he more or less started from the top, he has found it extremely tough to get organic acceptance down to the base, especially among the Oromo political leaders. EPRDF’s term in office ended in May 2020. Due to complexities with the pandemic, the election was postponed and as such EPRDF is in power on
over time.Feeling politically insecure and with an election scheduled for August 2020, he was all too enthusiastic to postpone the election with an open ended timeline citing the corona virus pandemic (coronation: suspending democratic practices while assuming royalty like powers during a disaster). He also jailed some of the key opposition leaders after the cold-blood shooting of a major artist and poet, Hacaaluu Hundeesa.
TPLF was the next episode. It seems he has used the state infrastructure to align the majority of the population with his message: TPLF (which is very much hated in the country for their decades of tyranny) must go, and I am here to fight for you. I am here to kill for you. Nothing is as powerful as that in nationalism.
From the most recent communique, the next episode is rebuilding and keeping Ethiopia stable. With elections scheduled for next year, it is easy to see why he wanted this done as quickly as possible. Critically, we also do not know the role UAE (and Israel + the US) played in reorganizing ET around 2017/18. Behind the scene processes that may explain a lot of
irrationalitywe see in ET’s domestic policies.I know I focused on one individual using an opinionated perspective. It was intentional, as it would allow me to follow a certain quick path in a complex labyrinth that is Ethiopian politics.
I’m not incredibly well versed in Ethiopian politics or history, so please forgive me if I sound ignorant.
I am very sceptical of the way the Ethiopian government has handled the situation, partly based on reporting from western media outlets. I have heard that the government has shown reluctance to engage in negotiations or peace talks, even when other countries have stepped in to say that they are prepared to mediate them. To me that can only mean they aren’t interested in ending the conflict by peaceful means, and that the safety of people who live in Tigray isn’t a priority for them. I wouldn’t want artillery shells being fired in the direction of my home city over a dispute that could have been settled in other ways.
I have also heard it reported that they have cut off electricity, phone lines and mobile communication for parts of Tigray as they made their offensive. Again, that doesn’t scream that they’re an innocent party. It could be that they don’t want atrocities being reported (if that is the case).
And last but certainly not least, I’ve also heard that they have opposed humanitarian corridors for people fleeing the war zone.
Ethiopian authorities have made some concessions to international pressure, offering to set up a humanitarian corridor to allow aid to reach the tens of thousands who have been displaced by fighting, and much larger numbers who are suffering from the disruption of supplies of food, fuel and medicine.
I’m going solely of Wikipedia with this point, but I notice in the “Ideology” section of the Prosperity Party’s Wiki page, it lists “Economic Liberalism”. As a communist, it makes me sad to see far-left and Marxist-Leninist parties morph into vehicles for capital.
Abiy himself was not aligned with the protesters (in fact he was neck deep in the TPLF controlled EPRDF as a minister of Science & Tech + deputy director of their Information Intelligence (NSA for comparisons or GCHQ). He jumped ship and got into the crowning moment of the changes in government that took place early 2018.
If you’ve got a recent history that rich with the TPLF (or a party majority controlled by the TPLF), then what sort of position are you in to label them a terrorist organisation?
I watched a documentary recently about female fighters within the TPLF who helped to overthrow the Derg regime - which committed horrific atrocities against civilains, and I have respect for those fighters in that point in history. I’m not well versed in their “decades of tyranny” as you put it, so there is a chance that I am more biased towards them than I should be, however I am open minded.
Earlier today the PM had a session in Parliament to respond to questions from loyal MPs. Master in public relations. https://twitter.com/PMEthiopia
To the other question about the morphing of EPRDF into
economic liberalism, in many this started with the late PM Meles, and accelerated by Abiy. There is the impression thatopeningup the country to global capital is one sure way of improving human condition there, thanks to government advisors like Tony Blair Institute. :(Was this documentary you watched Finding Selam? I watched a documentary along the same lines recently on AlJazeera.
No it was this one here from YouTube.
Thank you. One more thing to watch. The one I linked was also around the same time but tracks the lives of an elite family (diplomat’s family).
