Remembering Peaceful Demonstrators Murdered by TPLF in Bahir Dar One Year Ago
The area in which this took place is called Abay Mado “Kobel”, located in Bahir Dar. It was in the August of last year when all over the country, Ethiopians, including the youth were peacefully demonstrating in large numbers, expressing their displeasure towards the ethnocentric, extremely corrupt and suppressive regime of the TPLF.
The youth in Bahir Dar was expressing its solidarity with “Welkite” and “Oromo” brothers and sisters. They were demanding equality, democratic rights and fair governance which are all foreign to the TPLF regime. Even though it claims to be organized to end the suffering of Tigray people during past repressive regimes, once it came to power, the TPLF never understood the meaning of basic human rights. The TPLF rules by force, threats, imprisoning, massacring, killing and torturing.
That day, the youth in Bahir Dar were brave enough to come out and express their feelings. They wanted the world to see what they stand for. Sadly, cowardly TPLF Agazi snipers were hiding in buildings surrounding the city and were instructed to shoot directly at peaceful demonstrators. The footage is clearly seen in independent media, including ESAT. It is horrifying and heart breaking to see snipers shooting directly at youth that are armed with nothing but their voices and beliefs. The utter cruelty and inhumanity that has been demonstrated multiple times by the TPLF is astounding.
That same day, more than fifty young lives were taken within an hour. More than fifty families buried their loved ones. More than fifty families were heart broken by their losses. Those kids went out to say what they believed in and were told by the TPLF that they had no right to say what was in their minds. Thousands of the youth were then collected and put in prison for months and were told by the mindless TPLF leaders to wear a T-shirt that says that what they’d done will never happen again. What kind of a deplorable, heartless and primitive government would play a game like that except the TPLF?
Supporters of this cruel regime may argue that those kids were not assassinated within an hour. They may heartlessly say it took 4 or 12 hours. Some may even deny what happened in Bahir Dar that day or claim that the youth were armed. Tell that to the mothers and fathers who have lost their children. Tell that to the brothers and sisters who lost each other or died together at the hands of TPLF sniper killers. Again, the video footage is clear as to what happened that day and it was definitely a very sad day for Ethiopia.
This week, we should all remember those young lives that were stolen from their beloved families by TPLF Agazi snipers one year ago. They are our heroes, and we stand with the Bahir Dar youth in their quest for a better, democratic Ethiopia. They, as well as other demonstrators, will always have a place in history for standing up for the democratic rights of all Ethiopians. May God rest their souls and may the families be blessed with the strength to deal with their unimaginable loss.
We Stand with the Kobel Youth
And we say down with the killer TPLF regime
NY/NJ Ethiopians Task Force (www.ethionynj.com)
