Solidarity Forum of Ethiopia Supports Protest Rally on May 15-18, 2008

Golto Aila | April 28, 2008

The Solidarity Forum of Ethiopia joins the Movement for New Ethiopia in its recent call for Protest March on May 15 - 18, 2008. In addition to commemorating the abortive Democratic Elections of May 2005, the event will also serve as a reminder and commemoration of all the atrocities against Ethiopia and its People before and since then. Here are a few significant points since that election:

1.       Electoral fraud  following May 2005 elections

2.       Refusal to peaceful negotiations with the opposition parties in the aftermath of electoral fraud

3.       Arrest of the opposition and incarceration for 2 years

4.       Killing of 193 innocent people in Addis Ababa demonstrations

5.       Detention of thousands of innocent people in the aftermath of 2005 elections

6.       Ongoing genocide in Ogaden

7.       Continuing  arrests and murders in Oromia and around the nation

8.       Wholesale disenfranchisement in local elections of 2008

9.       Invasion and occupation of Somalia and loss of innocent lives and a war without end in sight!

10.   Politically motivated arrest of Teddy Afro and many others

11.   Ceding Ethiopian territory for “peace” with a nation incapable of peace, and facilitator of genocide of its own people!

While the atrocities against Ethiopians is entirely by a ruthless dictatorship, the success of this dictator in oppressing Ethiopians for nearly two decades is largely because of Ethiopians in general, and their opposition parties in particular, failing to come together and making a united stand against  it! Quite often the excesses of any administration are inversely proportional to effectiveness of opposition to it – that is the stronger the opposition or resistance the weaker the oppression! Dictators have one tool to control and maintain control over a nation, and that is by instilling fear in the people! Frightened people tend not to speak up and don’t come to each other’s assistance. The dictatorial regimes works by sowing suspicion among people and even forcing them to spy upon each other and thus spreading fear among the population! The current administration has perfected all the above techniques to the detriment of Ethiopia and its peoples! It is time to stand together and say enough is enough!

Out of selfishness, fear, ignorance and combinations thereof, we have failed to come together for the common good of all Ethiopians! This has allowed the current regime to destroy Ethiopia and our people, in addition to creating a very dangerous regional instability. It is inexcusable that in spite of all that has been done against our people that those in leadership positions have failed to address the realities in which their communities continue to suffer under increasingly harsh conditions!

While the situations in the different regions of Ethiopia suffer different degrees of atrocities, all of Ethiopia suffers from one form of atrocity or another. Attempts have been made by different movements to exert different forms of pressure ranging from peaceful to armed struggle. The former has failed largely because of negotiating from the position of weakness, and the latter because they cannot match the regimes fire power! In both cases the ordinary Ethiopians have borne the brunt of the repercussions!  What has lacked in the approach to this administration is what has always worked for mankind whatever the circumstance – STANDING TOGETHER AND TIGHTING OFF A COMMON ADVERSARY! It must be clear to all concerned at this point, whether you are Kinijit, OLF, ONLF or any other organization that UNITED WE SHALL STAND AND DIVIDED WE SHALL CONTINUE TO FAIL! The posture of the current regime is such that no single organization, be it political or otherwise, will be able to win a concession which will allow Ethiopia progress in a democratic path! I repeat what I said several weeks ago – Our Home Is Burning! It is our duty to put out the fire together, and then sit and discuss how to rebuild TOGETHER! Every day that passes with us divided counts against Ethiopia and ALL our people!

The SOLIDARITY of Ethiopian people must strive to bring ALL Ethiopians together and address today’s atrocities by peaceful means! There can be no peace in our Motherland, when a section of her population lives in fear because of threat of revenge against them for apparent support or association with a former regime! There cannot be a peaceful Ethiopia when there is no forgiveness for past crimes and wrong-doings. There cannot be a peaceful Ethiopia when there is refusal to acknowledge wrong doing and no attempt to make redress! THERE CANNOT BE PEACE IN ETHIOPIA OR THE HORN OF AFRICA WHEN THERE IS AN OBCESSION TO CUT UP ETHIOPIA INTO PIECES BY PEOPLE WHO APPEAR INCAPABLE OF SITTING AROUND THE TABLE TO RESOLVE THEIR DIFFERENCES!  More importantly, there cannot be a future for a dictator that has only one tool to resolve his problems – bullets.

There is a great opportunity for All of Ethiopia, including the current regime, to come together and chart a new course instead of pursuing a path that will lead to disaster that will destroy everybody and our beloved Motherland!

So let us stand together and make our voices heard! More importantly let the date of the protest mark THE BEGINNING OF NEW UNITY AND SOLIDARITY FOR ALL OUR PEOPLE! This is the opportunity for those who have embraced the concept of “My Solidarity Forum” to mobilize their communities for this worthy cause. We can never achieve anything for our people without a grass-root mobilization. Those of us who are advocating this kind of action are ordinary people who voluntarily come together and commit our personal resources to appeal to the public. It is up to the Ethiopian people to make these efforts succeed. So please put our suggestions of the Solidarity Forum of Ethiopia to practice and see what you can achieve.