The question has never been if, when, where, why and how TPLF or the Woyane regime committed crimes against the people of Ethiopia but, whether Citizens of Convenience skirt it or burry their head in the sand not to see it to carry its ‘water’ to commit more crimes.
January 27, 2018
Things are changing rapidly to force the Tigray People Liberation Front, the de facto occupying force masquerade as the ‘elected’ government of Ethiopia to surrender its illegitimate power. Instead, it refused to abide the popular demand again by playing the old-and-tired ethnic divide-and-execute game.
The recently prisoners’ release drama followed by the mass-atrocities throughout Ethiopia is the same old idiotic belief; propaganda-bullet strategy will save TPLF led ethnic apartheid rule Ethiopians endured for the last 27 years. It illustrates TPLF’s warlords’ arrogance-ignorance to grasp the reality confronting them.
Unfortunately, such narcissism didn’t come out of thin air as we are led to believe but, a direct result of the enabling Citizens of Convenience not to accept the enormity of TPLF’s atrocities and corruption to protect their own petty corruption. The delinquent boy of the notorious the notorious warlord Geberthion’s delinquent boy recent appearance on Ethiopian Fans video channel to insult Ethiopians illustrates arrogance-ignorance passed on the children of TPLF warlords.
The world powers’ post-cold-war foreign policy that unleashed criminal warlords on the people of Ethiopia and elsewhere didn’t help to communicate reality to Citizens of Convenience either, thanks to the Susan Rise of the world’s low expectations of Africans in the tradition of the old colonial powers’ crimes.
Tragically, Citizens of Convenience across the board are still banking on what psychologists refer as ‘arguments from ignorance’ or also known as ‘appeal to ignorance’ of world perpetuated by nonother than TPLF warlords’ elaborate ethnic propaganda and fairytales about Ethiopia and Ethiopians since its inception in the mid-70s. By recycling the same colonial fairytales about Ethiopia and Ethiopians over-and-over again for over four decades with little challenge until the Ethiopian Satellite Television Network (ESAT) came along seven years ago and ended the unrepented propaganda like no one had ever did before.
Ever since, Woyane warlords and their enabling Citizens of Convenience have been tripping over each other to throw as much mud as humanly possible at the messengers in fear of the message — their self-mutilating existence and self-inflect identity crises at the expenses of the freedom and the rights of the people of Ethiopia.
Stuck in self-serving zero-sum game to satisfy their appetite for corruption over the liberty of their compatriots, Citizens of Convenience once again are scrambling behind closed doors how to save their unholy aligns with the ethnic apartheid regime.
Quite honestly, you can’t help but feel pitiful the agony Citizens of Convenience go through to reinvent Woyane out of the ashes of history just to hold on to something that never belonged to them in the first place. It reminds me of what the legendary African American Philosopher and public intellectual Dr. Cornel West statement; “the capacity to produce social chaos is the last resort of desperate people”.
Therefore, the struggle for freedom, justice and democracy of the people Ethiopia will come sooner if only we confront the ‘elephant in the room’ i.e. Citizens of Convenience’s menace that sustained a corrupt ethnic apartheid regime at the expenses of the rights and freedom of the people of Ethiopia for far too long.
Thus, after over four decades of TPLF’s record, to wonder why it does what it was officially established to do is not only self-serving but, ingenuine. Instead, we should wonder; why the enabling Citizens of Convenience are doing what they do to sustain the apartheid regime from their hiding?
Interestingly, the rise of young and fearless patriotic Ethiopians to confront the ‘elephant in the room’ head-on by naming and-shaming the enabling Citizens of Convenience and demanding they come out of their hiding to face the people of Ethiopia is big development in the struggle to end apartheid rule beyond chasing smalltime TPLF warlords that live off them.
Take for instance the young, brave patriotic Ethiopian Tolossa Ibsa (pictured left) and his associates that took the struggle to a whole different level. Their ‘take-no-bull’ approach in the tradition of our forefathers is sending the last message to the enabling Citizens of Convenience to abandon Woyane or pay the ultimate consequences. The era of hide-and-seek zero-sum politics is over.
The emergence of young patriotic Ethiopians, I would argue is as the result of ESAT’s pioneering to end the “arguments from ignorance” the enabling Citizen of Convenience banked on to sustain the status qua as I predicted. No one could have dispelled TPLF’s unrelenting fairytales about Ethiopia and Ethiopianwinet but, ESAT’s unremitting expose that awaken Ethiopians from all walks of life to see the monoester with in.
I will reiterate again, the shire presence of ‘ESAT is the best thing that happened to the people of Ethiopia since the Adwa Victory’ at many levels. Unfortunately, many contemporary elites still don’t appreciate the impact ESAT brought to shine light not only on TPLF fairytales adapted from nonother the old and new enemies of Ethiopia and Ethiopians but, on the enabling Citizens of Convivence Woyane warlords ride them like jackasses at the expenses of the people Ethiopia.
But, no one made ethnic apartheid dictatorship acceptable for the gullible to undermine the frdeedom and the rights of the people of Ethiopia with little or no consequences than Citizens of Convenience in the diaspora.
It isn’t by accident Citizens of Convenience in the diaspora inconspicuously riding TPLF like a derange horse in the darkness in exchange for free public goodies. In fact, in recognition for their extraordinary service and loyalty, the make-believe Foreign Ministry of Woyane created the Diaspora Directorate Office to pumper and reward them to lure more unsuspecting Citizens of Convenience from the diaspora.
Closer look reviles, Citizens of Convenience diaspora don’t want anyone to know who they are and what they do if they can help it. The more perilous they are, the deeper underground they operate unless TPLF requires them to come out in public to humanize and legitimize the regime or to undermine Ethiopians’ struggle from disposing it. Even then, they have no confidence to face Ethiopians as TPLF stooges but as third-party ‘independent’ journalists, investors, businessperson, expert of one kind or another or neutral peacemakers to sustain the status qua at all cost as the record shows.
Ironically, Citizens of Convenience have one thing in common. They are all deaf, blind and mute when it comes to the atrocities and corruption of TPLF/Woyane warlords led apartheid regime of Ethiopia. In other words, they don’t utter a word out of their mouth, they don’t hear a word in their ears nor see light through the eyes when it comes to TPLF/Woyane regime.
The legendary Italian-born American human rights activist Giretta Sagar best known for her work with Amnesty International wrote; “Silence in the face of injustice is complicity with the oppressor”.
I can’t think of a prime example of muteness, deafness and blindness in the face of injustice’ than Citizen of Convince in the free world posed as neutral peacemakers like the infamous “Elders” led by Professor Ephrem Ishak, the Co-Founder of Horn of Africa Peace and Development Center.
He and his associates not only sold-out the democratic struggle of the people of Ethiopia particularly in the 2005 election led by Kinjit and got away scot free but, remained complicit in the mist of TPLF’s unprecedent atrocities and corruption as we speak.
The self-described “born from Falasha father and Ethio-Oromo mother” is a ‘distinguished’ Professor of Linguistics at the prestigious Preston University in the US yet, his unprecedented praises for the late TPLF ethnic warlord, ‘Prime Minster’ of Ethiopia, Chairman of Tigray People Liberation (TPLF) and Marxist & Leninist League of Tigray (MLLT) spoke volumes how prominent contemporary Citizens of Convenience enjoy life and liberty in the Free World they deprive their compatriots at home — rooting for the worst apartheid regime in history of the nation.
Beyond excusing the rouge regime; undermining the long-established and respected institution of Elders that sustained Ethiopians for centuries is the biggest blunder yet that would be recorded in the Hall-of-Shame of Ethiopian history.
What motivates prominent personalities to take the low-road at the expenses of their own compatriots and the country of their birth and Africa in general is the million-dollar question that requires extensive inquiry by historians and journalist alike to get to the bottom of it. For sure, it cannot be lack of knowledge or access to information nor the absence of crime of treason, atrocities, ethnic cleansing, corruption… that are the hallmark of TPLF warlords.
Regardless, Ethiopians shouldn’t be surprised to find out again if the same people are working behind closed doors with the usual suspects to come up with yet another make-believe ‘peace and reconciliation’ we hear on Medias to save the regime. To suggest, the rouge TPLF led regime that criminalize the entire population of Ethiopia as terrorists to terrorize and robe them can be a party of ‘peace and reconciliation’ can only be concocted by Citizen of Convenience to undermine the struggle for freedom and democracy on behalf of undisclosed force other. There is no other explanation.
Contemporary Citizen of Convenience remined me of what the dishonorable British Wing party politician and War Secretory Lord Thomas Macaulay proposed on the 2nd of February 1835 addressing the UK Parliament regarding Ethiopia and her people similar to TPLF manifesto over 180 years later. It reads;
“I have traveled across the length and breadth of Africa and I have not seen one person who is a beggar, who is a thief such wealth seen in this country. Such high moral values, people of such caliber, that I don’t think we would ever conquer this country, unless we break the very backbone of this nation, which is her spiritual and cultural heritage and therefore, I propose that we replace her old ancient education system, her culture, for if the Africans think that all that is foreign and English is good and greater than their own, they will lose their selfesteem, their native culture and they will become what we want them, a truly dominated nation”
Fast forward in the 21st century, what Ethiopians got from Citizen of Convenience is pushing the same proposal and, unsurprisingly in line with the same Western politicians of the past. Is there any wonder why they are terrified of anything to do with Ethiopia and her people’s unity — “her spiritual and cultural heritage” they undermine daily? If that wasn’t the case; why would they go to a great length to defend TPLF hiding in the same institutions that perpetuate to “break the very backbone of this nation” with more fairytales than show up say on ESAT and tell us why they do what they do?
The case for unconditional surrender of TPLF/Woyane regime was made clear long ago, particularly in the 2005 election. What stalled it from implementation were not necessarily TPLF warlords with ‘no backbones’ to accept; they are nothing more than self-professed modern-day mercenaries but, Citizens of Convenience that love them more than they love the freedom and the rights of the people of Ethiopia.
Unfortunately, there are many more Citizens of Convenience that ‘lost their selfesteem’ to do the biding of TPLF led ethnic Apartheid regime playing hide-and-seek than we think.
Quite frankly, not much attention had been given to the most menacing Citizens of Convenience of many nations that sustained rogue regimes in their own countries at the expenses of the rights and liberties of their compatriots in general. What distinguish them from ordinary citizen is; they are given opportunity to make a difference on their democratic struggle but, choose to speak no evil of rogue regimes even as citizens of the ‘free world’.
In the case of Citizens of Convenience Ethiopia, they come in different shapes and forms. The relatively few that come out in public out of necessity to humanize and normalize ethnic Apartheid for the world are mostly found on make-believe Medias run by Citizens of Convenience posed as independent.
A prime example of Media in the diaspora is the Ethiopian Broadcasting Service (Ebs), a satellite television service based in Maryland USA led by Amman Fissehazion that claims to serve Ethiopians in the diaspora as independent and private outlet. Yet, it broadcasts using the same public satellite service as TPLF controlled public propaganda outlet ETV with a new name EBC. Like every Citizens of Convenience run Media, Ebs is deaf, blind and mute when it comes to the atrocities and corruption of TPLF/Woyane warlords le regime but, entertain deaf, blind and mute Citizens of Convenience in its programs in unholy marriage of convenience.
Alike the average Citizens of Convenience tripping over each other to grab a piece of public land or build and finance a home, the worst offenders are close associates of TPLF warlords posed as third-party operators that took Ethiopians as suckers. Some are savvy enough to disguise themselves than others. The more money and political capital to be gained for TPLF Mafia Inc. & Associates the more underground they operate. Others come as third-party foreign investors/businessmen, journalist, consultants or operators of nongovernmental organization to the same end.
A prime example of Citizens of Convinces in the intelligence and security sector is Dr. Iur Mehari Taddle Maru. His LinkedIn profile shows his polished official activities (https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-iur-mehari-taddele-maru-69841523). But, in a nation under a complete control of security, Media, economy… of TPLF led apartheid regime, it doesn’t require PhD to know it is hogwash.
Maru’s opinion Ed on Al Jazeera in Jul of 2015 titled “The secret to Ethiopia’s counterterrorism success” reviles his unofficial duty and points in a direction of what TPLF’s Agazi paramilitary death squad is doing in the name of fighting international terrorism he advice the regime posed as third-party consultant financed by the usual suspects to terrorize the people of Ethiopia in submission.
The mysterious Iur Mehari Maru based in Addis Ababa is all over map inconsistent with his official activities he claims and contrary to his training in a country with no free press, no due process of law, known as major offender of human rights and corruption.
He is active in University reform, seats on the Board of the Ethiopian Tewahedo Church Development wing, as private consultant on security, peacekeeping and human right issues at the African Union and a whole lot more including writing multiple articles on Al Jazeera, on TPLF affiliated Horn Affairs Media in Addis Ababa and more. But, not once he wrote critical article or comment on TPLF crimes of atrocities, human right violation and corruption against the people of Ethiopia to date.
No one really knows what a man that claim to be trained in Oxford, Harvard and NATO War college in human right, intelligence and security doing in University reform, Church affairs or human right advocacy where the regime’s intelligence agency controls all institutions of the nation. Consultant or Constable?
Investment and trade is where most Citizens of Conveniences are found for obvious reason. But, for some unknown reason all are involved in it for other than investment and trade but, to take advantage of their relationship with the ruling party at the expenses of their compatriots. In the real world where they reside, it is considered crime of collusion, corruption, bribery, insider trading… but, in the La-La land they invest they call it growth, transformation, development…
A prime example of Citizens of Convinces in investment/Trade sector are the Founders of Ethio-American Trade & Investment Council (EATIC) established 1998 in Huston Texas and led by Gezahgen Kebede (picture left), Mohmmed Garad and the Director Atkelet Mesfin. Mysteriously, no record or picture of the two co-founders of the high-profile Trade & Investment Council that facilitated LUCY’ fossilised bone tour in North America from 2007-13 can be found.
Kebde is also an Honorary Ambassador of Ethiopia in Huston since the mid-90s according to public record. EATIC closed shop since our last report for undisclosed reason and no one knows what Mohmmed Garad and Atkelet Mesfin doing at present. But, Honorary Ambassador of Ethiopia Gezahgen Kebede claims to be Chief Executive Officer of WAGA Enterprises, LLC. and President of the International Trade Center in Houston Texas. Looking at WAGA Enterprises official website http://www.wagaenterprisesusa.com does not revile who is involved in what and where – a typical Citizen of Convenience operation.
Probably the celebrated Citizen of Conveniences in the investment sector is Zemedeneh Negatu (pictured left), the Former East Africa Managing Partner of Ernest Young (EY) based Ethiopia for almost two decades is now Chairman of Fairfax African Fund www.fairfaxafrica.com, a private equity fund management firm based in Virginia with office in Ethiopia.
Known for his extensive work promoting FDI and public enterprises acquisition by private investors while he was a Managing Partner EY, he appeared in several international and diaspora investment forums over the years promoting Ethiopia as a good investment destination without reviling the risk involve for investors he advice.
For instance, failing to disclose the ruling party’s extensive involvement in private sector investments while advising the ruling government and foreign investors. Failure to disclose the conflict of interest of his own personal investment in the country he promotes for investment. Failing to disclose the lack of independent economic data other than the government and the ruling party affiliated institutions. Failing to disclose the ruling party enterprises involvement in the government privatization agency Ernest Young Consults in finance and purchases are some of Negatu’s questionable association with the ruling party as he ventures as Fairfax African Fund investor in the same economy dominated by same ruling party he advised for two decades.
Another Citizens of Convince in the investment sector are found at Ethiopian Diaspora Business Forum established by Henock Assefa (pictured left). and Yohannes Assefa (pictured right). — two brothers team that began publishing The Ethiopian American Magazine (www.theethiopianamerican.com) in the early 2000s (pictured left to right). By the invitation-only Forum that screens participants of the Forum for undisclosed criteria held multiple yearly Forum in New York, Washington D.C and Addis Ababa in collaboration with Elliott School of International Affairs of The George Washington University led by Liesl Riddle is an Associate Professor of International Business and International Affairs.
At present, Henock Assefa is operates out of Addis Ababa overseeing the Ethiopian Diaspora Investment Forum and publishing an online Ethiopia Investor Media http://www.ethiopiainvestor.com while running Precise Consult International, consultancy firm specializing in finance, investment and business intelligence, according to its official website http://preciseethiopia.com.
At the meantime, Yohannes Assefa the ever-changing activities from New York, Dubai to Addis Ababa is hard to track. An attorney by training, at present his official Linking profile shows he is Director, Agriculture and Agribusiness East Africa Trade & Investment Hub in Addis Ababa since last year. https://www.linkedin.com/in/yohannes-assefa-1466414.
overtime, the Forum proven to be self-serving and propaganda tool for the ruling regime at the expenses of the people of Ethiopia and the larger diaspora community. By failing to address the corrupt policy of the regime in Addis Ababa and the ruling TPLF party owed businesses that dominate the economy, the two principle brothers exposed themselves with future legal ramification for conspiracy, collation and corruption.
Many of by-invitation-only Forums’ participants and sponsors are not kosher themselves either. For instance, the two diaspora Medias that were present to cover the multiple Forums (Tadias Magazine based in New York operated by husband-wife team led by Tseday Alehegn (picture right) and Ethiopian Broadcasting Service (Ebs) base in Maryland operated by three-brothers team led by Amman Fissehazion (picture left) continue to ignore the corrupt policy of the regime and the role of TPLF play as policymaker, lawmaker and business operator by painting rosy picture of the regime to mislead the people of Ethiopia and the larger diaspora community.
Other notable Forums’ participants and sponsors with direct link with TPLF run business enterprises includes ModEthiopia, a New York based technology company led by the little-known Mani Amare (pictured left) with operation in Addis Ababa that allegedly has a long history hording investment and trade information on behalf of TPLF. His close association with three successive Directors of the Ethiopian Investment Commission (all three are TPLF members) allowed him and associate to be the sole person that run the official website of the government investment commission out of New York for 17 years (until October of 2010) before he turns it to the Commission run by the present Director General Fesume Arega (pictured right). All three successive Director General of the Investment Commission, the successive Trade Minsters the commission is under and the successive Committee members in the Parliament that oversee the Commission are responsible persons for failing to stop TPLF operatives to runover the Investment Commission with corruption and nepotism.
Another peculiar place Citizens of Convince congregate is the Ethiopian Diaspora Association (www.ethiopiandiasporaassociation.org) established in 2012 led by Dr Ababu Minad, an anthropologist turns a political hack. He has long and colorful history with TPLF warlords and help create the Diaspora Office in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs led by Dedmke Atanfu during the infamous Former FM and the now WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. At present, the Association run by General Abraham Sium (pictured left), according to government run Ethiopian Herald. It is not clear if the military General took over the diaspora association. http://ethpress.gov.et/herald/index.php/news/national-news/item/6631-diaspora-to-deliberate-on-current-affairs.
There are many more Citizens of Convenience running multiple political, businesses, nongovernmental and Media organizations at home and in the diaspora to see no evil if they get what they expect from the regime. Those directly affiliated with TPLF Mafia Inc. in whatever sectors they may be involve were established for nonother than to sustain apartheid regime that served TPLF than what they publicly claim.
Unless and until they are identified and made accountable for their delinquency against the people of Ethiopia, TPLF will continue to do more damage than what it already did. After all, TPLF primary mission, in the words of the dishonorable Lord Thomas Macaulay of old England is to “break the very backbone of this nation, which is her spiritual and cultural heritage”. Therefore, there is no surprise on what TPLF does as told by its dishonorable grand Mafia warlord Sibihat Nega in line with his 19th century Lord Thomas Macaulay of England or the 20th century Fascist invaders. The surprise comes when Citizen of Convenience see no evil of what TPLF does on behalf of its 21st foreign Lords blinded by their daily bread thrown at them to sell their spiritual and cultural heritage, against their own people.
Now we know why Woyane warlords have identity crises to be whatever their foreign handlers wanted them to be. It reminds me of the self-inflicted identity crises of the late TPLF warlord Melse Zenawi that started as Arab messenger boy and evolved into the ‘Golden’ boy of Tigray raped with the flag of shame to end up buried in Addis Ababa rapped with Ethiopian flag with fake legacy and Foundation courtesy of his friends and foreign enablers. Again, that was not a surprise for Ethiopians coming from a self-professed mercenary but, the drama that followed by Citizens of Convenience — praising an ethnic warlord for doing good job is another tragedy that would go to Hall of Shame of Ethiopian History.
In fairness to the gullible Citizen of Convenience, many don’t know what is going on beyond what they see and hear on TPLF operatives-controlled and dominated Media to join in the distraction of their people and nation. For that, they must make the responsible propaganda Media operators that misled them accountable.
Albert Einstein once said, “the world will not be destroyed by those who do evil but, by those who watch them without doing nothing”.
Therefore, the question has never been if, when, where, why and how TPLF or the Woyane regime committed crimes against the people of Ethiopia but, whether Citizens of Convenience skirt it or burry their head in the sand not to see it to carry its ‘water’ to commit more crimes.
It is about time Citizens of Convenience should be recognized for who they are and be accountable to end TPLF’s apartheid onslaught that brought disgrace on; in the words of Ethiopians’ enemy Lord Macaulay “Such high moral values, people of such caliber”.
Need I say more to convince anyone; Citizens of Convenience are the problem more than the self-confess TPLF warlords that ride them like jackasses to sustain the regime?
This article is dedicated for DR Merara Gudina and his compatriot prisoners released from smaller jails to large prison and thousands of prisoners that remained behind bars, and Hundreds of Ethiopians killed in the hands of TPLF throughout the country for demanding to surrender its illegitimate power. Your leadership on behalf of the people of Ethiopia is needed more than ever.
