Mr Issaias: The friend of Ethiopia?

I know it is not April and no one is playing April the fools’ day. It seems that some in the Ethiopian Opposition camp and particularly those in the cyber arena are infatuated with a crazy idea of “Shabeya freeing Ethiopia”; and they seem to have a party that is making them foolishly drunk. Thanks for the party but I cannot dance with them.
Though this crazy idea is not born in the Diaspora’s cyber womb, it is mindboggling to read serious people entertaining such a possibility. Let me state it at the outset that I am an Eritrean by birth and have several cousins who hold high positions in the Eritrean government; among them is Mr. Semere Ressuom, the former Eritrean ambassador to the United States and the current Minister of Education in Eritrea. Let me also make it clear that my family was victimized by the regime in Ethiopia simply because of our ‘Eritrean heritage”. During the 1998 cruel war between Ethiopia and Eritrea, my mother and my then 9-year-old niece were deported to Eritrea in a cruel manner.

Having said that let me put my two cents for the new found “Ethiopian Hero” in the Diaspora’s web world. Mr. Issaias Afeworki is one of the worst dictators ever lived on the face of the Earth. To equate him with Patrice Lumumba and other African freedom fighters is to make a cruel joke in the suffering of the Eritrean people. Some, who consider themselves journalists, nonetheless practice yellow journalism, had interviewed Mr. Issaias and subjected us to his arrogant and child-like “wisdom”. Do not get me wrong: these individuals have every right to interview Mr. Issaias, and have every right to state their opinions. However, they do not have the right to shove down our throats to accept Mr. Issaias as the “new Messiah” who is going to save Ethiopia. The fact remains Mr. Issaias has such a deep hatred for Ethiopia and would do everything possible to assert his direct or indirect control of Ethiopia’s resources.



Mr. Issaias has showed the entire world his utter defiance to opinions other than his. This is the man who has mercilessly destroyed the lives of his comrades in arms. The fact remains that people like Petros Solomon who spent most of their adult lives fighting for the rights of the Eritrean people are languishing in jail without any trial. Former Ethiopian soldiers are subjected to hard labor in Adiqualla and in a condition that is not suitable to any human beings. Several journalists, religious leaders, human rights activists and many Eritrean citizens are held incommunicado accused of treason and other frivolous charges by the Eritrean regime. There is no freedom of the press, no election, even a fake one in Eritrea.

It is no wonder that Mr. Issaias feels that the whole world is against him and chastised organizations like the UN and AU. He can join people like Mugabe and Al Bashir in that regard. Sadly, every dictator and despot feels that the whole world is against him. Mr. Issaias is not any different. This man has become the worst nightmare for the Eritrean people. Young Eritreans who have lost hope in the future of their nation are fleeing the country in thousands trying to save their lives from this monster. Although I have no objection to Mr. Issaias’ interview by those who claim to care for Ethiopia and Ethiopians and the people of Eritrea, I’m appalled that these individuals failed to recognize the suffering of the Eritrean people and the danger that this man has posed to the interest of Ethiopia and Ethiopians. It is equally appalling that those who claim to advocate for human rights and democracy have failed to criticize this dictator for his Iron-Fist rule in Eritrea. Such double standard defies journalistic ethics (even for those who practice yellow journalism) and logic.

The irony is that those who are infatuated with Mr. Issaias claim that they are opposing the regime in Ethiopia because of the Ethiopian regime’s dictatorial rule. If that is the case, how could we have any respect for them when they roll out the red carpet to one of the worst and the cruelest dictators in the world? It has been said that what we learn from history is that we do not learn from history. History shows us that it is Mr. Issaias and his cronies who created the TPLF and the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) for the sole purpose of creating havoc in Ethiopia and with diabolical interest of disintegrating Ethiopia. After putting the TPLF in power, Mr. Issaias and his cronies directly controlled Ethiopia’s resources and sucked it like there is no tomorrow until May 1998. It is when the TPLF said “NOT ANY MORE” that the Issaias regime picked a fight with Ethiopia.

In June 1998, when Center for International Strategic Studies invited Eritrean and Ethiopian embassy officials with few individuals in the US, I was one of the few who were present at that meeting. I had a lengthy discussion with some of the Eritrean officials. These officials admitted to me that the border issue was not the real issue. They stated that “Weyane was trying to strangle us economically, thus we had to act quickly”. It is when Ethiopia said that the Eritrean regime is no longer welcome to be a parasite in Ethiopia that Eritrrean soldiers marched into Ethiopian territory with their guns and with our Tanks in their control.

For any learned Ethiopian it is clear that what Issaias wants is a disintegrated Ethiopia. Period. If anyone has an illusion about that, then they need to re-read their history and learn from it once again. As most reports and reliable sources inform us, Mr. Issaias did not only pick a fight with Ethiopia; he also picked a fight with Yemen, Djibouti and the Sudan. Those in the Ethiopian opposition camp who think they can trust Issaias are making a strategic mistake and a political suicide by allying themselves with the sworn enemy of the Ethiopian people and one of the worst human beings on the face of the earth.

One thing we should realize is that the Ethiopian people hate Issaias more than they hate the TPLF. Make no Mistake about it. That is the reason Ethiopians mobilized coast to coast when Eritrea invaded Ethiopia in 1998. This is not the first time Eritrea rolled out its tainted red carpet for propaganda; Solomon Tekalegne and Mr. Demes Belete were used at one point for such propaganda. Unfortunately, Mr. Issaias is referred to as the “president of Eritrea”; Mr. Issaias is not qualified to be referred to as the “Eritrean President” by any measure. He is the cruel ruler of Eritrea. It is amusing to hear when those who ardently oppose Mr. Meles and support Issaias call Issaias “President Issaias”, and when they are having a hard time calling Mr. Meles Prime Minister Meles. The people of Eritrea, despite their enormous struggle and sacrifice, did not get a chance to elect their president, nor did they have the opportunity to hold a democratic referendum. Their struggle has been hijacked by Mr. Issaias’ leadership and they lead a miserable life, cruelly ruled by people who consider Eritrea as a piece of Real Estate they own.

Today, thousands of Eritreans are fleeing Eritrea to Ethiopia. I hope and pray one day the people of Ethiopia and Eritrea will unite under the right circumstances. However, attempting to allow Mr. Issaias to float to glory with innocent Ethiopians and Eritreans blood is unforgivable tragedy. How many of you forget the Ethiopians who were uprooted from Eritrea in 1991 when Shabya took power in Eritrea? Some of the Ethiopians gold teeth were pulled by pliers. Mr. Issaias should be charged with crimes against humanity and for war crimes in the International Court. He is yet to answer for the whereabouts and the circumstances of POW Colonel Bezabeh Petros.

Please do us all a favor, because you hate Woyane, do not glorify Issaias. Issaias is a man who hijacked Eritreans freedom and subjected Eritreans to an enormous suffering. He has been ruling Eritreans with fear, terror and death using his “Red Flower” (KEYEH EMBABA) thugs. Even one of his earlier admirers, Dr. Bereket Habteselassie, has turned against Mr. Issaias because he realized that a dictator in arms is also a dictator in “his kingdom”. Thank you for the party, but the music is distorted, the dancing is crooked and I cannot dance with those who are immersed in the blood of innocent people.

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The writer can be reached at tibebesamuel@yahoo.com