Dereje (Jimma)
On Monday, October 10, 2016 5:55 PM, Dereje Bacha <d_bacha@yahoo.com> wrote:
Dear All (Respected Governments)
I am writing this email in response to EU’s calls for a process of reconciliation and recent press statement from the state department. I will not talk about what TPLF led regime has done for twenty five years. Instead, I focus on the ongoing development and where the country is heading. Without taking into account those imprisoned, displaced, and left the country, more than 2,000 people were killed since the protest began. Ruling party and foreign owned factories and equipment were damaged. The Irrecha (thanks giving festival) massacre, which took life of over 1000 people, reignited protests across towns of Oromia region; consequently properties were damaged, more people were killed including an American student and now the regime declared states of emergency and blame Eritrea and Egypt governments for the unrest. Blaming other countries doesn’t hold water after massive killings, evicting farmers from their ancestral land with unfair compensation and disrespecting self-rule enshrined in the constitution.
So far, there is no anger on foreign nationals visiting the country for different reasons. It is highly likely that the death of an American student was coordinated by the government intelligence units in order to blame the demonstrators for the incident. We call for American intelligence to investigate those behind the killing of Sharon Gray. Such arrangements have been done in the past on civic and political organizations and very recently on Ethiopian Muslims for asking religious rights. As a retaliation measure, against the growing international pressure, the regime convened and ordered prison police and torturers to feed and inject poison into tens of thousands of Oromo youths. It also instigated conflict between major ethnic groups to divide the people in southern Oromia region and accordingly over seventy people were killed. Similar developments are boiling in other regions of the country.
Much have been said by different groups, think thanks and activists about the brutality of the regime and the way forward to end violence and to protect rights of all citizens. We acknowledge the mounting pressure on the regime, for stopping emergency trust fund, for drafting resolutions and for calling an independent investigations. However, given the realities in the ground and speedy revolt, efforts made so far by the international communities will not curb the ongoing protest and bring the regime into reconciliation process. Ethiopian regimes never change policy by external pressure instead greatly influenced by the country’s unique history of independence during the colonial period. In other words, whether criticized or not, government crackdown and resistance will remain, more atrocities will be committed, considerable damages on both foreign and ruling party owned properties and businesses are expected and hence further instability is anticipated unless appropriate measures are taken.
We believe that the international community can do much to end violence, address wider aspect of grievances and to ensure human rights of all citizens are respected. As compared to other western countries, the United States has more responsibility to stop genocides taking place in the country for couple of reasons. First, providing support to dictator regime is incompatible with U.S. policy towards Sub Saharan Africa. Second, from historical points and reasoning used to oust dictators in other countries including Libya. Without U.S. intelligence, diplomatic and logistics supports, TPLF had no power to overthrow the military junta. More than the military junta and imperial regimes, Ethiopian people irrespective of their demographic size have suffered (evicted from their land, killed, and many inhumane acts have been committed) and the country experienced unprecedented level of emergency food aid. Therefore, providing financial and logistic support to TPLF after massive unrest across the country from now on neither benefit the people nor contribute to counter terrorism objectives in the horn of Africa.
We know that wider protest per se is not a game changer for dictator regime. Stopping financial and diplomatic supports are vital but not enough to bring TPLF into reconciliation table as well. Recognizing these facts, the Oromo people are taking different measures at different levels including working with nations and nationalities of Ethiopia on common platforms. We request all round supports (diplomatic, financial and logistic supports) to cope with heavily armed regime militias as we are losing life in every peaceful protest. Given our demography and growing discontent inside the military, providing diplomatic and small financial support to the oppressed people army will bring the regime into national reconciliation process. Thank you!.
Sincerely,
Dereje Bacha Megeressa, Ph.D
Annandale, Virginia , USA
Phone: (202)8400918