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PM Abiy opposes US Sanctions: Really? (Mesfin Arega)

PM Abiy opposes US Sanctions: Really?

 

Mesfin Arega


“Prime minister Abiy Ahmed wrote an open letter opposing Washington’s latest sanctions”, so goes the breaking news from pro-Abiy Ahmed news outlets ESAT and ZENA TUBE.  Abiy Ahmed never ceases to amaze us.  Truly, he is a master comedian, and this comedy must be one his master pieces.  

The US and Ethiopia are “friendly” countries with widely open lines of communication, be it physical or remote.  This means the US does not take any measure (especially a serious one like sanction) regarding Ethiopia before serious consultations with its leader and reaching some level of consensus.    This in turn means, Joe Biden’s government issued its threat of sanction with full blessing of Abiy Ahmed.   

The sole purpose of Joe Biden’s press statement is not to warn the imminence of sanctions, but to scare Ethiopian officials who would vehemently oppose immediate and unconditional negotiation with TPLF with the threat of imminent sanction.  These officials can be none other than some of those representing the Amhara region.   

And the sole purpose of Abiy Ahmed’s open letter is to deceive gullible Ethiopians that he is fighting for Ethiopia when in fact he is conspiring against it.  After all, why write an open letter when other more effective means of communication with the US government are still available, if not for publicity stunt.  If an open letter is necessary, why does he let it be issued under his name, when he knows for sure that it is beneath his prime ministerial position and embarrassing for Ethiopia?   Why not through the foreign ministry, which would be more appropriate?  

Considering all of these, one is left with no doubt that Abiy Ahmed has played a leading role in the Biden’s government threat of sanctions against some Amhara officials and prominent Amhara individuals.   I would not be surprised if the list of Amhara officials and prominent Amhara individuals to be sanctioned by the US government is already prepared by Abiy Ahmed himself and is already sent to Washington.  

Therefore, the big question is the following.  Why would Abiy Ahmed want to scare Amhara officials who are part of his own government by the threat of sanction by the mighty US government?  What would Abiy Ahmed profit from this threat? 

Ever since Abiy Ahmed sat at the helm of power in Ethiopia, all the measures he took decidedly prove that he is the undeclared chief (the LUBA) of Oromuma, the stated goal of OLF (Oromo Liberation Front) to establish an Oromo empire covering most of present-day Ethiopia as well as parts of neighboring Kenya, Somalia, and Sudan.  

However, Abiy Ahmed can realize his dream of completely oromizing Ethiopia, if and only if he can reduce the so-called Abyssinian regions (Tigray and Amhara) to vassal regions of Oromia, led by confused or convinced subservient puppets.  In this regard, he seems to have gone sufficiently far, or seems to believe so.      

First, he reduced Tigray region to rubble under the pretext of bringing TPLF criminals to justice.   Then, he unleased these very TPLF criminals on Amhara region under the pretext of giving them time to reflect.  Now that these two regions are so weakened that they will no longer hinder (let alone post a serious threat) to his oromization plan, he wants to legalize the status quo by a US sponsored immediate negotiation without any precondition.  

Should Amhara regions officials oppose any negotiation with TPLF while it is marauding in their region, Abiy Ahmed will frighten them into submission by implicating them of genocide, and the prospect of going to the Hague.   Should they counter him by asking why they should be accused of genocide when the president of his own region (Ato Shemelis Abdissa of Oromia who oversaw the ethnic cleansing and vicious murder of Amharas) is not, Abiy Ahmed will brazenly tell them that America does not care for Amharas.  In this case, Abiy Ahmed has a point because all statements and action by the US government seem to show that the US government not only does not care for the Amhara people, but also is out to safeguard American interest at the expense of the Amhara people.       

The reincorporation of Welkait and Raya to their rightful Amhara region would no doubt make the region the most powerful in the country, rendering Abiy’s dream of oromizing Ethiopia forever irredeemable.  Unconditional negotiation with TPLF while it is still controlling Raya and a huge chunk of Wollo, will most likely end with TPLF not only reannexing Wolkait and Raya but also making the annexation legal and binding.  Then, these huge and fertile lands will not only be forever lost to Amhara region, but this severely weakened region will be completely surrounded by the soon to be born Greater Tigray republic, by the soon to be established Oromo empire, and by the Sudan, making it the Armenia of East Africa.  This, and only this is the overriding reason why Abiy Ahmed would conspire with Mr. Blinken to force Amhara region officials to negotiate with TPLF unconditionally and, more importantly, immediately.  Otherwise, the Amhara people who are organizing and reinforcing at astounding rates will close Abiy Ahmed’s window of opportunity forever, making the dreams of greater Tigray republic and Oromo empire forever remain dreams.   

Mesfin Arega

mesfin.arega@gmail.com

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