Forcible eviction of citizens will only stop when we, the people change the politics of TPLF!
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PG7 Weekly Editorial
The ‘ethnic federalism’ that the Ethiopian People Revolutionary Democratic Front-EPRDF established 27 years ago has resulted in the forcible eviction of Ethiopians, based on their ethnicity, from areas they have lived, worked and owned property for many generations. The main victims of this apartheid system have been Amharas whom the Tigrai People’s Liberation Front-TPLF considers its arch enemies. Although the newly elected Prime Minster, Dr. Abiy Ahmed has openly stated that Ethiopian citizens have the right to live and work anywhere in Ethiopia, contrary to TPLF’s divide & rule policy, the forcible eviction of citizens has not abated. The recent eviction of more than 150 Amharas from the Beni Shangul– Gumuz region is the latest incident.
A couple of months ago, one million Oromos were similarly dislocated from the Somali region. The massive dislocation was well-orchestrated by the TPLF regime that seems determined to cling to power by creating constant conflict pitting one ethnic group against another. It’s also a glaring example of the disconnect between the PM’s assertion of citizen’s right of free movement within Ethiopia and the massive number of internally displaced people due to the incessant ethnic strife in various regions.
The ethnic conflict that is being encouraged by the TPLF regime in different parts of the country is primarily meant to weaken or curb the growing influence of the reformist group within the EPRDF so that the TPLF will remain the undisputed power broker within the coalition.
PG7 strongly condemns the illegal and forcible eviction of Amharas and other ethnic groups by regional officials at the behest of the TPLF regime. We call on the Amhara National Democratic Movement- ANDM to break its silence and emulate the action of its coalition partner Oromo People Democratic Organization-OPDO ( helping dislocated Oromos from Somali region) speak out forcefully against the heinous crime being committed against the Amharas and provide them shelter and the necessary support to rebuild their lives.
More than ever, it is clear that the TPLF, composed of self-interested kleptocrats is devoid of any love for country or for its fellow citizenry. After 27 years of iron fisted rule TPLF’s mandate to govern Ethiopia is coming to an end and it’s imperative that self-serving EPRDF regional authorities refrain from imprisoning and dislocating citizens. Once again, PG7 would like to warn all involved in implementing these ill-advised actions that these decisions will have serious legal consequences and indefensible historical implications.
The Ethiopian people fully cognizant of the fact that TPLF’s maladministration and divide & rule policy of 27 years will come to an end only when a freely and fairly elected democratic government is installed in Ethiopia. To that end the people are continuing their struggle in different ways and by different means.
It’s the hope of PG7 that the reformist group that has recently come out of the EPRDF and won the people’s cautiously optimistic support realizes the historic opportunity as well as the huge responsibility resting on it shoulders and stand firmly with the vast majority of the people that are demanding fundamental change in Ethiopia.
Finally, PG7 would like to impress upon the Ethiopian people and especially the youth, at the forefront of the demand for real reform, that politically-motivated imprisonment, forcible dislocation, killings and forced exiles will only stop when the TPLF brutal regime is relegated to the dust bin of history. Therefore, the struggle to transition Ethiopia from dictatorship to a vibrant democracy will only come through the collective and determined struggle of all people.
Patriotic Ginbot 7
Victory to the Ethiopian People!
