US 1st couple hosting EPRDF counterparts

August 15, 2014

by Robele Ababya

Introduction

Vultures are hovering over the abundant natural resources of the African continent; the old colonial masters are in the business of watching with the eye of an eagle to defend their interests against the voracious new comers like China, India Saudi Arabia, et al for the scramble of Africa. Ethiopia portrays one of the worst contagious examples in the array of African countries that are dependent on foreign aid to make up for shortfalls in their budget. Given that donor fatigue is increasing at an alarming rate and that the western major powers are confronted with global security issues, securing foreign aid is going to be a nightmare for the beggars who had rushed to Washington for a summit at the ‘invitation’ of President Obama amid his multiple problems awaiting his attention during his remaining time in power for less than two years.

Therefore the purpose of this piece is to argue that the fate of self-reliance in Ethiopia under the EPRDF tyrannical rule is in serious doubt and that President Obama has multiple problems of his own to render assistance.

The President and his intricate multiple challenges

President Obama, as leader of the free world, is leading the pack of the old colonial masters in the neo-colonial setting to redraw the political map of the African continent on the watch of AU leaders.

It is reasonable to assume that President Obama is working on a legacy to bequeath to his nation. So that he will not be recorded in history as a President who was given so much mandate by the American people in his first election to office but achieved so little. He so much entrenched in the Middle East political turmoil and, to add to his predicament, the unstable situation in Ukraine has presented him with a formidable and nationally highly popular leader with keen legitimate regional interest, Vladimir Putin – ex-KGB chief in the former East Germany and now President of Russia. Given that the USA needs the support of Russia in international affairs in various fora some coming to the security council, for example in: – nuclear weapons disarmament negotiations with Iran and North Korea; political stability in Syria and Iraq; stalled negotiation on two-state solution between Israel and Palestine; dispute between China and the US ally Japan over sovereignty of the islands in South China sea. The uncertainty of what will transpire after withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan coupled with the shaky security Pakistan where the sitting Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is facing mammoth opposition, pose a significant challenge to the President. As if these are not enough, Mr. Obama has made gay rights as a legacy of his Presidency to the extent of withholding development aids from African countries disapproving same-sex matrimony as a taboo in conflict with their cultural values and a sin according to the Scriptures – the Holy Bible and the Holy Quran.

The President is ensnared in a maze of complex global issues, including climate change, due to his hesitancy to take timely action for fear of leaving behind a poor legacy. Consequently he has missed the golden opportunity of being remembered as a great leader, for leaders of such caliber emerge from extraordinary situations such as the ones our troubled world is undergoing at present. One would hope that Mr. Obama will do away with his hesitancy and take appropriate actions to reverse the worsening global geopolitics and gross violations of human rights during his remaining time in office as President.

Egypt is rising under the leadership of El-Sessi who got recognition as a mediator in the catastrophic conflict between Israel and Palestine. President Obama has therefore no choice except to embrace El-Sissi as an indispensable ally given that Egypt is also the backbone of the Arab world. The USA cannot in any way ignore Egypt in the present situation where the latter is taking a smart move of bolstering its economic and more importantly military ties with Russia.

So the African leaders have come to Washington at a wrong time to meet with the President who could barely manage to facilitate a pittance to the tune of 17 billion dollars in terms of investment pledges by private companies for the whole continent.

Luckless historical ties with the USA

Ethiopia participated in earnest in the “Collective Security” missions inspired by the United States and the United Nations. Two outstanding examples are:-

1. the Korean war in which Ethiopia’s battalion fought with admirable prowess and gallantry for which the USA paid a glowing tribute decorating the men in uniform; and

2. UN’s peace keeping mission to the Congo spearheaded and other troubled parts of the African continent.
In spite of the above contributions of Ethiopia towards Collective Security, successive US Administrations failed to reciprocate, to wit:-

• Secretary of State Dallas asked Fascist Italy to move fast into Addis Ababa and stabilize the city;
• Herman Cohn facilitated entry of the TPLF to Addis Ababa;
• Suzan Rice, Zenawi’s ‘dearest best friend’ by her own admission in her eulogy at his funeral, strongly supported the apartheid policy of the tyrant;
• Condoleezza Rice worked hard to kill passage of HR2003 in the Senate and took pride in that;
• Aurelia Brazil and Vicky Middleton biased in favor of TPLF in the 2005 Ethiopian Election;
• Hilary Clinton as First Lady made an official visit to Eritrea and none to Ethiopia; as secretary of state she clearly and amicably supported tyrant Zenawi;
• George Bush reneged on his pledge to curtail past policy of the U.S.A. doing business with dictators;
• the current Secretary of State has failed to publicly declare his stand on the rampant gross violations of human rights in Ethiopia and to denounce the active stance of the regime to nip democracy in the bud;
• President Carter stopped delivery of self-defense military supplies thereby emboldening Somalia to invade our beloved country Ethiopia.
So Ethiopians are justified to say no to U. S. A.’s double standards and demand reciprocal mutual respect as equal partners in the fight against all acts of terrorism of which the EPRDF is also a part.

Power is slipping out of tight grip of TPLF. Organizations with a mission are conceived and created. They grow at first until a point of their inevitable decay or decline at accelerating rate. This is the fate in which the TPLF is embroiled at present. TPLF is losing its tight grip on power. It is holding to its mainstay of begging which its top leaders know best. Unfortunately, some African leaders are following its example in this begging habit just as they did in stealing elections emulating the example of the tyrant Meles Zenawi who robbed election 2005 in broad daylight declaring a state of emergency and throwing the victors of that election in jail.

Opposition political entities and civic organizations should put their acts together and hasten the process of the end of tyranny in Ethiopia perpetrated by the TPLF regime for the last 23 years – taking advantage of the current internal weakness admitted by its own cadres at the top of its hierarchy including Adisu Legese who:- accuses his own party ANDM associating with G7; OPDO associating with OLF; discloses that the EPRDF is unable to hold on to power; complains that the leadership in Gambella Region is untrustworthy; calls for new recruitment of EPRDF members in cities. So the time to survive by defeating the TPLF warlords is now!

From America to Ethiopia with smile

One wonders what message the picture below would send to the oppressed Ethiopian people. The picture shows Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn and his spouse with the first couple of the USA hosting the USA-Africa Summit held in Washington. It means nothing to the starving millions suffering under tyrannical rule and to the thousands of political prisoners languishing in filthy prisons on the watch of the Prime Minister of EPRDF and his hosts.

The photo is a good memorabilia for the Implementer- in- Chief of the globally condemned Anti-Terrorism law of TPLF/EPRDF regime of which the Prime Minister was one of the architects under the late tyrant Meles Zenawi. The law has succeeded in relegating basic freedoms of expression to the death row.

LONG LIVE ETHIOPIA!!!

rababya@gmail.com

በመንግሥት ፖሊሲና ስትራቴጂ ላይ ያልሰለጠኑ ተማሪዎች ዩኒቨርሲቲ መግባት ሊከለከሉ ነው

ነሃሴ ፱(ዘጠኝ)ቀን ፳፻፮ ዓ/ም ኢሳት ዜና :-የትምህርት ሚኒስቴር ከ360 ሺህ በላይ ነባርና አዳዲስ የዩኒቨርሲቲ ተማሪዎች የመንግሥትን ፖሊሲና

ስትራቴጂን እንዲሰለጥኑ አስገዳጅ መመሪያ ያወጣ ሲሆን በሥልጠናው ላይ ተሳትፎ የምስክር ወረቀት ያልያዘ ተማሪ በዩኒቨርሲቲዎቹ ትምህርቱን

መቀጠል እንደማይችል በግልጽ አስጠንቅቋል፡፡ የትምህርትሚኒስትሩአቶሺፈራውሽጉጤሰሞኑንለጋዜጠኞችእንደገለጹትበመንግሥትፖሊሲዎችና

ስትራቴጂዎችላይ ከ250ሺህበላይነባርየዩኒቨርሲቲተማሪዎችእናከ116 ሺህበላይአዳዲስተማሪዎችለተከታታይ 15 ቀናት አበልበመክፈልባሉበት

አካባቢበፕላዝማሥልጠናእንደሚሰጥአስታውቀዋል፡፡ የሥልጠናውየመጀመሪያዙርከሳምንት በኃላእንደሚጀምርያስታወቁትሚኒስትሩሁለተኛው ዙር

በመስከረምወር 2007 ዓ.ምተሰጥቶለማጠናቀቅመታሰቡን ተናግረዋል፡፡ ሥልጠናውንየሚሰጡትከፍተኛየመንግሥትባለስልጣናትመሆናቸውን

የሥልጠናውዝርዝርእናየሚፈጀውወጪምንያህል እንደሆነተጠይቀውከመናገርተቆጥበዋል፡፡ሆኖምሌሎችምንጮችበሥልጠናውከተካተቱት ርዕሰ

ጉዳዮችመካከል ስለሃይማኖትአክራሪነት፣ስለሽብርተኝነት፣ስለልማታዊመንግሥትጉዳዮችእንደሚገኙበትጠቅሰዋል፡፡ ይህሥልጠና ኢህአዴግ በመንግሥት

ወጪለቀጣዩምርጫድጋፍለማግኘትእንዲሁም ነባር አባላቱን በዩኒቨርስቲ ተማሪዎች ለመተካት ለዘረጋው መርሃ ግብር ማስፈጸሚያ ነው በሚል አስተያየቶች

ይሰጣሉ። ምንጮች እንደሚሉት ለፓርቲው ስራ ገንዘብ እንዲወጣ የሚደረገው ከመንግስት ካዝና ነው። በተመሳሳይ ዜና ደግሞ ባለፈውሰኞየተጀመረው

ለፌደራልዳኞች፣አቃቤያነ ህጎች፣ የፖሊስናየደህንነትሃላፊዎችየሚሰጠው የአብዮታዊ ዲሞክራሲያዊ ስልጣና እንደቀጠለ ነው። በተወካዮች ምክር ቤት

እየተካሄደ ባለው ስልጣና  ተሳታፊዎቹበአይነትናበይዘትየተለያዩጥያቄዎችንአንስተዋል። አንድ ተሳታፊ “የዚህዓይነትስልጠናበዚህወቅትበተለይለኛለምንኣስፈለገ?የፍትሕኣካላትበተለይዳኞችከፖለቲካነጻናቸውበሚባልባትሃገርውስጥበተለይየስልጠናማንዋሉየኢሃዴግንአርማመያዙየዳኝነትን ገለልተኝነት

ጥያቄ ውስጥ አያስገም ወይ?” የሚል ጥያቄ አንስተዋል። ሌላ ተሳታፊ ደግሞ ” ኢሃዴግለ23አመታትየገዛፓርቲ ሆኖሳለለ10ዓመታትእድገትአመጣሁ ማለቱ

ድክመቱንከመግለጽ ይልቅ ስለ እድገትናስልጣኔብቻማዉራቱምንማለትነው? ” ሲሉ ጠይቀዋል። ከታሪክ ጋር በተያያዘ በተነሳው ገለጻ ላይ ደግሞ አንድ ጠያቂ

” አጼሚኒሊክወራሪነውወይስሃገር አቅኚወይምተስፋፊ?በሚኒሊክዘመንየነበረው የመደብጭቆናነው ወይስየብሄርጭቆና ?” በማለት ጥያቄ አቅርበዋል። ቋንቋን

በተመለከተም ” ኣንድኢትዮጵያንለመፍጠር አንድቋንቋአያስፈልግምወይ?” የሚሉእናሌሎችተዛማጅ ጥያቄዎችም ተነስተዋል።  አፈ ጉባኤ አባ ዱላ ገመዳለተነሱት

ጥያቄዎች መልስ የሰጡ ሲሆን፣ አጼ ሚኒሊክን በተመለከተ በሰጡት መልስ  አጼ ሚኒሊክ ወራሪ መሆናቸውን ገልጸዋል።  በሚኒሊክወቅትየነበርው ጭቆና

ሁለትገጽታነበረውያሉት አባ ዱላ “በአማራክልልየመደብጭቆና ፣በኦሮሚያናበደቡብክልሎች ደግሞ የብሄርጭቆና  ነበር ” ብለዋል። ስርዓቱየሚከተለዉን

ኣይዶሎጂበሚመለከት በሰጡት ገለጻ ደግሞ “ኢህአዴግ የታይዋንናየህንድን ልማታዊመንግስታትርእዮት አለምወይምአስተሳሰብእንደሚከተሉነገርግን የኢህአዴግ

ርእዮት አለም  እንደነሱልማትንበግድየሚጭን መንግስትሳይሆን፣ልማታዊና ዲሞክራሲያዊነው” ብለዋል።ተሰብሳቢዎቹም ” የነታይዋንአይነትልማትንበግድ

የሚጭንመንግስትእንዴትዲሞክራሲያዊይሆናል?” የሚል ጥያቄ አንስተዋል። ኢህአዴግ በመላ አገሪቱ የሚገኙ ከፍተኛ አመራሮችን ፣ የመንግስት ሰራተኞችን፣

የህዝብ ተወካይ የሚባሉትንና የግንባሩን ካድሬዎች ሰብስቦ በወቅታዊ የአገሪቱ ሁኔታ እያነጋገረ ነው።

Bloggers charged with treason for using free software

ugust 15, 2014

Bloggers and human rights defenders held for more then 100 days and charged with treason for using free software

Joint statement by Front Line Defenders and Tactical Technology Collective on arrest of Zone9 bloggers: In the recent Zone9 Bloggers case in Ethiopia the authorities have fabricated charges of destabilising the nation and terrorism in an attempt to silence any independent voices talking about the human rights situation in the country.

Part of the supposed evidence they have presented to try to substantiate the charges is that the human rights defenders used some of the tools and tactics contained in the Security in-a-box package which is publicly available on the Internet.

Security in-a-box is a collaborative project developed by Front Line Defenders and the Tactical Technology Collective. It was created to meet the digital security and privacy needs of advocates and human rights defenders to enable them to communicate securely online.

Security in-a-box includes a How-to Booklet, which addresses a number of important digital security issues. It also provides a collection of Hands-on Guides, each of which includes a particular freeware or open source software tool, as well as instructions on how you can use that tool to secure your computer, protect your information or maintain the privacy of your Internet communication.

The content of Security in-a-box is entirely legitimate, the software is all publicly available for free, and its use is consistent with international human rights law. The Ethiopian authorities have falsely suggested that the legitimate concerns of the human rights defenders about the privacy of their information and communications is evidence of inciting violence or seeking to overthrow the government.

Background

On 17 July 2014, the Ethiopian authorities formally charged ten human rights defenders and bloggers under anti-terrorism legislation. Seven of those charged are members of Zone9, while three others are independent journalists. With the exception of Soliana Shimelis, who was charged in absentia, the other six Zone9 members Mahlet Fantahun, Natnael Feleke, Befekadu Hailu, Atnaf Birhane, Zelalem Kibret and Abel Wabela, as well as journalists Tesfalem Waldyes, Edom Kassaye, and Asmamaw Hailegiorgis have been in detention since 25 April 2014.

Zone9 is a group of bloggers and human rights defenders who discuss online issues of public interest in Ethiopia. Soliana Shimelis and her fellow bloggers are accused of having links to two Ethiopian groups, Ginbot 7 and the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF), which have been labelled “terrorist organisations” by the Ethiopian government since 2011.

Before these formal charges were brought on 17 July 2014, human rights defenders Mahlet Fantahun, Natnael Feleke, Befekadu Hailu, Atnaf Birhane, Zelalem Kibret, Abel Wabela, Tesfalem Waldyes, Edom Kassaye, and Asmamaw Hailegiorgis had been detained for over 80 days, which is the limit of detention without charge in Ethiopian law. They are accused of intending to “destabilise the nation” and of using their blogging as a cover for unlawful activities. Reportedly, human rights defender Natnael Feleke was accused of receiving cash, estimated at Birr 48,000 (about €1,780), from Ginbot7 for the purpose of inciting violence. The other bloggers are accused of receiving orders from Ginbot7 and OLF and of being part of a plan to organise terrorist acts and overthrow the government by force.

Soliana Shimelis has been accused of founding Zone9, co-ordinating communications between Zone9 and Ginbot7, and organising a security training for fellow bloggers using the ad hoc human rights training tool “NGO Security in a Box”, which is available online.

Mahlet Fantahun, Natnael Feleke, Befekadu Hailu, Atnaf Birhane, Zelalem Kibret, Abel Wabela, Tesfalem Waldyes, Edom Kassaye, and Asmamaw Hailegiorgis were all arrested during an operation launched by the Ethiopian police on 25 April 2014. This came just two days after Zone9 had announced that it would resume blogging after suspending its activities for approximately six months due to a series of threats against their members. Soliana Shimelis was charged in absentia and is not currently in custody.

Front Line Defenders and Tactical Technology Collective are concerned about the fact that these bloggers had been in detention without charge beyond the legal limits, in connection with their legitimate work in defence of human rights, and are further concerned by the targeting of human rights defenders in Ethiopia on the basis of alleged connections with “terrorist organisations”.

Ginbot 7 Membership Drive Effort

August 14, 2014

One of Ethiopia’s major opposition political movement Ginbot 7 Movement for Justice, Freedom and Democracy (Ginbot 7) announced the importance of supporters and membership drive effort.

A Response to Tsehai Alemayehu on Devaluing The Birr Seid Hassan

First if all, I thank Professor Alemayehu for both reading my commentary and for pointing out a technical error that I made while trying to show the appreciation of the birr’s real exchange rate. Professor Alemayehu’s commentary and positive criticism was brought to my attention about a week ago by Professor Messay Kebede. I debated on whether to send a thank you note to Professor Alemayehu, respond to him by disseminating my response or do nothing. The decision up this point was to do nothing since, as Professor Alemayehu correctly articulated, there is no difference in substance between the two of us regarding the likely consequences of the devaluation of the Ethiopian birr. I am disseminating this response in light of the fact that Professor Alemayehu has now posted a second commentary, which itself is a response to Professor Teshome Abebe’s

commentary. For obvious reason, his response (my) has nothing to do with Professor Abebe’s commentary.The Technical Error: While trying to show the appreciation of the real exchange rate, I used a simple and standard formula for currency appreciation (a formula used to calculate changes in percentage prices, such as inflation) instead of depreciation. In short, Professor Alemayehu’s calculation of 17.3%, regarding what I referred to as “stealth devaluation” is technically the “correct one” – per the suggested formula, instead of the 21% that I suggested. I strongly argue, however, that the reality is closer to, if not higher than, to the 21% since both my and professor Alemayehu’s calculations are static in nature and exclude compounding and the impact of expectations.

Reasons for using the formula: In my article that was disseminated on August 1, 2014, I reluctantly used the standard and simplest formula which depicts the relationship between the nominal and real exchange rates. I reluctantly used that formula partly because I happen to receive messages and complaints (beginning all the way back to 2008), largely from laypersons, who either disagree with my assertions of the overvaluation of the birr and/or do not understand how it works. As I stated in the same article, some bloggers and commentators also happen to continuously make similar mistakes. I used that simple formula hoping that presenting it would serve as a good learning moment for them and to show some others that there are some theoretical and technicalities involved behind the assertion of the appreciation of the birr’s real exchange rate.

Remittances and Foreign Aid Flows and Real Exchange Rate Appreciation: I am somewhat mystified by Professor Alemayehu’s suggestion that I have made an error on this issue. In the same article, I stated that the huge remittance and foreign aid flows contribute (and, not cause) the appreciation of the birr’s exchange rate (overvaluation of the birr.) On domestic grounds, the birr’s value has been falling due to rising costs of living and inflation rates. But, both the official and the suppressed and interfered with black market exchange rates fail to reflect this fact, thereby raising the real exchange rate. In case Professor Alemayehu or anyone else is not aware, the international economics literature is replete of remittance and foreign aid flows causing and contributing to real exchange rate appreciations and even leading to what is known as the Dutch Disease. Here is the other point that I was making, albeit indirectly: Amusingly, both the World Bank and the authorities encourage foreign aid flows into the country, even though I and many notable experts, such as Professor William Easterly believe that a good portion of foreign aid has been misused and abused by both donors and recipient countries and has been counter-productive to aid recipient countries such as Ethiopia.

When it comes to remittance flows, the over 160,000 Saudi repatriation of Ethiopians, their mistreatments and the mishandling of the issue by Ethiopian authorities reveal the existence of a policy of exporting of people and benefitting from their concomitant remittances- one of the current research topic of mine. But, as suggested above, these flows contribute to the overvaluation of the real exchange rate. Given the policy of using remittance and aid flows as promoters and growth instruments, one could easily observe devaluation measures being exercises in perpetuity (and exercises in futility.)

Ethiopian government to bring criminal charges against six weeklies

August 13, 2014

Ethiopia’s justice ministry has announced that it is bringing criminal charges ranging from “dissemination of false rumours with the intent of overthrowing the government” to “undermining public trust in the government and attempts at fostering ethnic and religious divisions” against six news weeklies.

In a communiqué released on 5 August, the ministry accused the six weeklies – Lomi, Enqu, Fact, Jano, Addis Guday and Afro-Times – of “encouraging terrorism, endangering national security, repeated incitement of ethnic and religious hate, and smears against officials and public institutions.”

Two of the weeklies, Addis Guday and Fact, are among Ethiopia’s leading privately-owned newspapers and have often covered events or published stories that have generated political controversy. One of Addis Guday’s journalists, Asmamaw Hailegiorgis, has been held on a terrorism charge since 25 April.

The ministry said it had been “patient” with the six weeklies but had finally decided to bring charges in response to public pressure for corrective action. It also warned that it was ready to bring charges against other publications engaging in similar “subversive” activity.

“Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn’s government must end the harassment of independent media that it has been orchestrating for the past few months,” said Reporters Without Borders secretary-general Christophe Deloire.

“With the 10 journalists and bloggers already accused of terrorism and now this prosecution threat, the government is sending a much tougher message to news providers. Prosecuting journalists for ‘undermining public trust in the government’ is totally illegitimate.”

Ethiopia is ranked 143rd out of 180 countries in the 2014 Reporters Without Borders press freedom index.

Source: REPORTERS WITHOUT BORDERS, FOR FREEDOM OF INFORMATION

Ethiopian Meron Wudneh Crowned Miss Africa USA 2014

Washington, D.C. – Ethiopian-born beauty queen Meron Wudneh has been crowned Miss Africa USA 2014. Meron, who beat 20 other contestants, is the first Ethiopian to win the Miss Africa USA pageant since it was launched nine years ago. Meron received the sought-after tiara on Saturday evening during the Grand Finals held at the Strathmore Theater in North Bethesda, Maryland.

In her statement posted on the Pageant’s website Meron states: “I am honored and delighted to represent Ethiopia, an ancient African country with amazing biodiversity, people who take pride in preserving their diverse culture, it’s great warriors, Kings and Queens! I love dancing our traditional Eskista dances, playing sports and bringing visibility to our culture through fashion.” Meron is a resident of Montgomery County, Maryland and a graduate of Bowie State University where she studied Health Sciences.

Last year’s winner was Kathy Onmu of Nigeria.

Is the TPLF/EPRDF an ethnic-based-apartheid government?

Institutions are to be independent of political control in a healthy, just and inclusive society; however, in Ethiopia, one can see that one ethnic group, affiliated with one ethnic-based political party, dominates key positions in government and its institutions. Judge for yourself. The majority of the examples given below provide information of ethnic background and political affiliation for key leaders within key institutions in Ethiopia. This is a sampling of some of the most critical institutions under the control of the Government of Ethiopia. Civic organizations should act as watchdogs, but a similar sampling of such organizations would show a similar ethnic makeup and party affiliation following the passing of the Charities and Societies Proclamation (CSO law). It should be noted that the TPLF has often placed persons from other ethnicities in a top role, but in most cases, those second in command are the hidden power-holders to fool Ethiopians, donor countries and other outsiders into believing this is an inclusive government when it is not. This kind of domination should be admitted and openly discussed, for tensions related to it have become a source of potential backlash that could evolve into ethnic-based violence and instability. We should all try to avoid this outcome; yet, it will require honesty, integrity and a willingness to put humanity before ethnicity or any other distinctions. Until then, none of us will be free! 

Some of the current leaders heading key institutions in Ethiopia:

Institution	Head	Ethnicity	Political Affiliation
Ethiopian Prime Minister:PM Hailemariam Desalegn is said to be a figurehead, without any real power, who was appointed to bring the appearance of ethnic diversity to the TPLF/ERPDF. He led the team that drafted the draconian Charities and Societies Proclamation law (CSO law) that when adopted in 2009, virtually eliminated civil society.  There are currently four deputy prime ministers (DPM) rather than only one, as done in the past. Each DPM is from a different party within the EPRDF, each representing one of the four ethnic-based parties that make up the EPRDF; however, the de facto prime ministers are said to be Abaye Tsehaye and Seyoum Mesfin. Minister of Federal Affairs: Abaye Tsehaye is said to be the “hidden prime minister.” He is the founder of the Marxist-Leninist League of Tigray; member of  the TPLF Central Committee; allegedly, he helped mastermind the massacre of Anuak leaders in Gambella in 2003, as well as other human rights crimes in the country.  Abaye is a fervent disciple of Marxist-Leninist repression of all religious groups, seeing them  as a primary potential threat to the ruling party. Reportedly, he believes that religious groups, above all other members of civil society, can more rapidly and effectively mobilize to bring about an uprising that could result in the downfall of the Government.  Additionally, Abaye, along with Seyoum Mesfin, a retired member of the TPLF Central Committee and the current Ambassador to China, are alleged to be the real power-holders in the regime.	Hailemariam Desalegn Abaye Tsehaye	Wolayta Tigrayan	EPRDF TPLF
National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS); From the very top positions of theNISS to the kebele (local) level, most every key position is held by Tigrayans, or their proxies, who are also affiliated with the TPLF. According to Human Rights Watch’s report (p 29), the NISS together with the Federal police, form the anti-terrorism task force responsible for the arrests and detentions of numerous journalists, politicians, opposition leaders, and others. Currently, it is believed Getachew Assefa and Debretsion Gebremikael, another Tigrayan and the head of the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT), work closely together andwere responsible for the arrest and detention of Ethiopians like the Zone9 bloggers and the Oromo students, and the kidnapping and extradition of Ethiopians holding foreign passports from other countries like Okello Akway Ochalla, the former governor of Gambella, a Norwegian citizen, who was taken from South Sudan and Andargachew Tgige, a British citizen, who was taken from Yemen.  It is also rumored that they acted independently of the prime minister, the military and other government officials. HRW indicates that the NISS shares little information with others, including the Ethiopian National Defense Forces (EDF). (p 30) Second in command in the NISS: The role of Isayas has allegedlybeen the purposeful creation of division—ethnic, religious, political and other.  Polarizing society has been a well-used strategy of the TPLF as a means to maintain minority rule when they make-up only 6% of the population of Ethiopia. Head of NISS for Religious organizations: Mikael Abraha is responsible to ensure religious groups do not pose a threat to the ruling party, using puppet leaders, division, repression, and other strategies, particularly by advancing regime-friendly leaders to positions of responsibility. This is particularly obvious within the Ethiopian Orthodox Church and Muslim leadership; this has led to the division of the EOC and to continuing protests by Muslims, including arrests of leaders, due to government interference in religious affairs. This practice is also carried out among Protestant groups at the local level, affecting top leadership. The TPLF/EPRDF Strategic Plan for Hegemony and Perpetual Rule gives some further details on this practice on how the TPLF/ERPDF has controlled religious groups and other parts of civil society as part of a master plan. Ethiopian Federal Police:  The federalpolice and security agents enforce the will of those in charge from the top federal level to the district level.  This includes havingprimary responsibilityfor all federal, regional and district investigations; including, directing others in that role at the local levels.  The various departments of the federal police are led by individuals of the same ethnicity and party affiliation; for example, the head of the police, the head of investigations, the head of forensics, and the head of the prison system are all controlled by Tigrayans who are committed to enforcing TPLF policy, regularly trumping the rule of law. The federal police work closely with the NISS and are often the first called to suppress protests. They are believed to be responsible for recently killing student protestors in the Oromo region. Ministry of Defense:  This ministry is led in name only by a non-Tigrayan from the South; but again, it is a TPLF effort meant to deceive outsiders while maintaining control for the interests of the TPLF.  The real power of the military is clearly seen in the nearly total domination of Tigrayans in the roles of the top leadership within the military. Out of 55 top officers, only 2 were of an ethnicity other than Tigrayan. Please refer to the list below. Ethiopian National Defense (END);  The makeup of the leadership of the military is almost all made up of  people of Tigrayan ethnicity and affiliated with the TPLF, making it an ethnic-based, namely Tigrayan defense force rather than an Ethiopian National Defense Force.  Please see below for a detailed list of the ethnic composition of ENDF leadership or the link. Minister of Foreign Affairs: In order to protect the interests of the regime, all key foreign relations positions are held by Tigrayans or others who are regime loyalists; one notable case is Seyoum Mesfin, previously a member of the TPLF Central Committee, a founder of the TPLF, the head of EFFORT—the Tigrayan business conglomerate that enjoys favorable treatment by the TPLF/EPRDF in regards to business dealings—and an ambassador to China. Sources indicate he was given the ambassador position in case the US backs out of the long-standing supportive partnership with the TPLF/ERPDF. Seyoum also is highly influential in all matters of the TPLF.	Getachew Assefa Isayas Woldegworgis Mikael Abraha Aregash Beyene (Head of Federal Police) Girmay ?  (Commander of Investigations Meucha ? (Commander of Forensics) Siraj Fegesa Sherefa General  Samora Yunis Tedros Adhanom	Tigrayan Tigrayan Tigrayan Tigrayan Tigrayan Tigrayan Silte Tigrayan Tigrayan	TPLF TPLF TPLF TPLF TPLF TPLF EPRDF TPLF TPLF
Minister of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT):  This ministry monitors and controls technology and information systems; this includes radio, television, websites, telecommunications, networks and the development of technology services within the country, where Ethiopia is lagging far behind most other countries on the continent.  This ministry is responsible for the control and surveillance of the Internet, Voice Over IP, mobile phones, messaging, video conferencing, and jamming various programming. Debretsion Gebremikael is said to work closely with Getachew Assefa and the NISSand are thought to be responsible for information leading to the arrest of journalists, opposition figures and activists under the politically-motivated and repressive anti-terrorism law. When facing charges, records of phone calls and emails are misused as evidence of false terrorism charges, often manufactured.	Debretsion Gebremikael (also holds position of Deputy Prime Minister, one of four with same title and role)	Tigrayan	TPLF
Ethio Telecom:  This government-owned company is the sole provider of telecommunications in Ethiopia. Debretsion Gebremikael, who is also the Minister of Communications and Technology, is the board chairperson. In an unusual display of open criticism by parliamentarians, he has been confronted for the poor performance of Ethio Telecom; accusations of placing security over service and development.  Ethio Telecom operates under the auspices of MCIT and the government.	Debretsion Gebremichael	Tigrayan	TPLF
Minister of Finance and Economic Development; This ministry is in control of financial institutions, loans, investments, banking and is very powerful.  It has been criticized for its practice of giving preferential treatment to Tigrayans, EFFORT businesses and TPLF approved individuals and businesses.  EFFORT has never been audited. Seyoum Mesfin was the head of EFFORT until Azeb Mesfin, the wifeof deceased former prime minister, Meles Zenawi, took it over.She has now been replaced by another Tigrayan. Second in Command and the real power in the ministry again is a Tigray and TPLF member. Many of the banks are government owned, but operated as extensions of the TPLF. Ethiopian Revenues and Customs Authority:  This is a key ministry which has been used to control individuals and businesses to ensure regime compliance through assessing revenues/taxes or by giving favored treatment. Most customs agents are Tigrayans, many of whom are former TPLF guerilla fighters.  This includes women soldiers who were given these jobs in lieu of other appointments. Agents are said to regularly give preferential treatment on custom tariff rates to fellow Tigrayans; sometimes eliminating fees altogether, while exorbitant fees are charged to non-Tigrayans. This practice has curbed development and opportunity in non-Tigrayan  regions; for example, import taxes on electronic equipment are prohibitively expensive and deter persons from bringing them into the country.	Soufian Ahmed Beker Mikael Abraha Kaidaki Gezahegn (Deputy Director)	Oromo Tigrayan Tigrayan	EPRDF TPLF TPLF
Ministry of Justice: As one of the most strategic institutions, the Ministry of Justice is one of the most crucial to the TPLF if they are to maintain their minority rule.  The current head is said to hold little power, but instead is thought to be used by the TPLF to show ethnic diversity when there is little to none.  The following positions are key: President of  Federal Supreme Court; This mancontrols the Court to ensure the interests of the TPLF are primary, from the highest courts of the land to the local level. Both he and the Deputy President of the Federal Supreme Court were rebel fighters in the bush With Meles Zenawi. Deputy President of the Federal Supreme Court Although Medhen Kiros is second in command, he is the actual head of the Ministry of Justice.  He is a former TPLF guerilla fighter.  Dessalegn Berhe and Medhen Kiros are responsible for making sure the court serves the agenda of the Tigrayan/TPLF. State Minister of Justice: Dr. Hashim is reported to be the mastermind of the manipulation of the  legal system so to serve the goals and purposes of perpetuating TPLF control of any challengers. He has the equivalent power of Isayas Woldegworgis, second in command of the NISS intelligence ministry and is the right hand of NISS minister, Getachew Assefa; known for getting things done him at the Ministry of Justice.  He is a true TPLF supporter. Federal High Court Judge:Now a judge,but previously the prosecutor in charge of the cases involving the Swedish journalists, Reeyot Alem, Eskinder Nega, Andualem Arage and other political prisoners. Some believe his judgeship is a cover while acting in the actual role of prosecutor—a serious judicial conflict of interest to act as both prosecutor and judge. Federal court justice technocrats (titles reflect job roles): Deputy Commander of Anti-terrorism Investigation Division Head of Federal Police Investigations for the Courts: Commander Reta is close to the head of NISS mastermind of intelligence, Getachew Assefa.  Heis also in charge of Maekelawi Prison where many of the prisoners are tortured. He is loyal to the TPLF. Head of politically-motivated cases (unknown title): All political prisoners are dealt with by this individual at the Ministry of Justice.  He was the one who prosecuted the Kinijit leaders in 2005.  He was transferred from the Tigray region where he was involved similarly with Tigrayans. State Minister for Regional Affaris of Justice:    Leul Kahsay is responsible for overseeing regional judicial affairs for the entire country at the federal level to make sure the interests of the regime are pursued in all criminal investigations and litigations.  He is said to be a cold-hearted perpetrator of torture and other cruel and inhumane methods. Ethiopian News Agency; The ENA is responsible for the dissemination of politically-correct information in all forms of the media such as radio, television, and newspapers.  This includes Ethiopian Television Broadcasts (ETV).  Most all of the top people, including producers, reporters, photographers and anchors are Tigrayan.  Please refer below for further details. This organization is state-run.	Berhane Hailu Dagne Dessalegn Berhe Medhen Kiros Hashim Tewfik Berihu Teweldebirhan Tekle ? Reta Tesfaye Mikael Teklu Leul Kahsay Tewodros Hagos	Amhara Tigrayan Tigrayan Harare Tigrayan Tigrayan Oromo Tigrayan Tigrayan Tigrayan	EPRDF TPLF TPLF EPRDF TPLF TPLF OPDO TPLF TPLF TPLF

Ethnic Preference Seen at ETV
Name	Ethnicity	Position at ETV
Temesgen Beyene Kibrom Woldselassie Eden Gebrehiwot Le-Alem Desta Hermela Gebrekidan Helena Mebratu Alganesh Teka Solomon Gebremedhin Eden Berhane Abrehet Adem Daniel Gebregziabher Hirut Gebreamlak Metasebia Legesse Kebkab Tadesse Atkilt Gebremeskel Tsega-Leoul Woldesadik Rahel Tekleyohannes Sara Feshaye Alemayehu Gebrehiwot Siyaf Aseged	Tigray Tigray Tigray Tigray Tigray Tigray Tigray Tigray Tigray Tigray Tigray Tigray Tigray Tigray Tigray Tigray Tigray Tigray Tigray Tigray	News Anchor Amhara Region News ETV Special Entertainment Anchor ETV Producer News Anchor News Anchor ETV Program Producer/News Anchor ETV-Southern Region of Ethiopia News Anchor Special correspondent: Office of the Prime Minister ETV Camera/Film Producer Southern Region of Ethiopia ETV News Anchor ETV Sports News Anchor ETV Correspondent ETV Correspondent ETV Photographer ETV Program Producer ETV English Program News Anchor ETV Program Producer ETV Program Producer ETV Program Producer

This report comes from an insider who alleges that over the past twenty years, different techniques have been used for giving preferential treatment to people of Tigrayan ethnicity. In the broader society, especially in regards to journalists and people in the media, techniques such as firing without just cause, intimidation, imprisonment, torture, and other such methods, have been used to eliminate any who might be critical of the TPLF/EPRDF. Through various tactics, the Ethiopian regime has managed to replace 95% of ETV employees with a single ethnicity, without proper evaluation of their journalistic qualifications or experience. The dominant hiring factor is simply their ethnic origin (TIgray) and their loyalty to the TPLF/ERPDF regime.

SIX PERCENT OF ETHIOPIAN ETHNIC TIGRE / TPLF DOMINATE ARMY TOP POSITIONS
By Nemera Dinsa W | May 31, 2013

http://ayyaantuu.com/horn-of-africa-news/ethiopia/six-percent-of-ethiopian-ethinic-tigre-tplf-dominate-army-officers/

Defense Departments

No	Job Division	Name & Rank	Ethnic Group
1	Armed Forces Chief-of-Staff	General Samora Yenus	Tigre
2	Armed Forces Head of Training	Lt.General Tadesse Worde	Tigre
3	Head of Logistics	Lt.General Gezae Abera	Tigre
4	Head of Intelligence	Br. General Gebre Dela	Tigre
5	Armed Forces Head of Campaign	Major General Gebreegzher	Tigre
6	Armed Forces Head of Engineering	Lt.General Berhane Negash	Tigre
7	Chief of the Air Force	Chief of the Air Force	Tigre

Heads of the Ethiopia’s Four Military Commands

No	Job Division	Name & Rank	Ethnic Group
1	Central Command	General Abebaw Tadesse	Agew
2	Northern Command	Lt.General Saere Mekonene	Tigre
3	South Eastern Command	Lt.General Abraha Wolde	Tigre
4	Western Command	Br. General Seyoum Hagos	Tigre

Army Divisional Commanders

Central Command & Northern Command

No	Job Division	Name & Rank	Ethnic Group
1	14st Army Division	Colonel Wodi Antiru	Tigre
2	21st Army Division	Colonel Gueshi Gebre	Tigre
3	11th Army Division	Colonel Workidu	Tigre
4	25th Army Division	Colonel Tesfay Sahiel	Tigre
5	22nd Army Division	Colonel Teklay Klashin	Tigre
6	4th Mechanized Division	Colonel Hinsaw Giorgis	Tigre

South Eastern Command

No	Job Division	Name & Rank	Ethnic Group
1	19st Army Division	Colonel Wodi Guaae	Tigre
2	44st Army Division	Colonel Zewdu Tefera	Tigre
3	13th Army Division	Colonel Sherifo	Tigre
4	12th Army Division	Colonel Mulugeta Berhe	Tigre
5	32nd Army Division	Colonel Abraha Tselim	Tigre
6	6th Mechanized Division	Colonel G/Medhin Fekede	Tigre

Western Command

No	Job Division	Name & Rank	Ethnic Group
1	23rd Army Division	Colonel Wolde Belalom	Tigre
2	43rd Army Division	Colonel Wodi Abate	Tigre
3	26th Army Division	Colonel Mebrahtu	Tigre
4	7th Mechanized Division	Colonel Gebre Mariam	Tigre

Commanders in Different Defense Departments

No	Job Division	Name & Rank	Ethnic Group
1	Agazi Commando Division	B.General Mohammed Esha	Tigre
2	Addis Ababa & Surrounding Area Guard	Colonel Zenebe Amare	Tigre
3	Palace Guard	Colonel Gerensay	Tigre
4	Banking Guard	Colonel Hawaz Woldu	Tigre
5	Engineering College	Colonel Halefom Eggigu	Tigre
6	Military Health Science	B.General Tesfay Gidey	Tigre
7	Mulugeta Buli Technical College	Colonel Meleya Amare	Tigre
8	Resource Management College	Colonel Letay	Tigre
9	Siftana Command College	B.General Moges Haile	Tigre
10	Blaten Military Training Center	Colonel Salih Berihu	Tigre
11	Wourso Military Training Center	Colonel Negash Heluf	Tigre
12	Awash Arba Military Training Center	Colonel Muze	Tigre
13	Birr Valley Military Training Center	Colonel Negassie Shikortet	Tigre
14	Defense Administration Department	B.General Mehari Zewde	Tigre
15	Defense Aviation	B.General Kinfe Dagnew	Tigre
16	Defense Research and Study	B.General Halefom Chento	Tigre
17	Defense Justice Department	Colonel Askale	Tigre
18	Secretary of the Chief-of-Staff	Colonel Tsehaye Manjus	Tigre
19	Indoctrination Center	B.General Akale Asaye	Amhara
20	Communications Department	Colonel Sebbhat	Tigre
21	Foreign Relations Department	Colonel Hassene	Tigre
22	Special Forces Coordination Department	B.General Fisseha Manjus	Tigre
23	Operations Department	Colonel Wodi Tewk	Tigre
24	Planning, Readiness and Programming Department	Colonel Teklay Ashebir	Tigre
25	Defense Industries Coordination Department	Colonel Wodi Negash	Tigre
26	Defense Finance Department	Colonel Zewdu	Tigre
27	Defense Purchasing Department	Colonel Gedey	Tigre
28	Defense Budget Department	Ato/Mr. Berhane	Tigre