Prochazka’s Ghost in the State Department: Ethiopia and USA
Mesfin Arega
“The numerous tribes who inhabit the Ethiopian state are being forcibly kept from European colonialism by Abyssinian rulers whose aim is to act as champions of all black people so as to attack and destroy Western culture” (Roman Prochazka, Abyssinia: The Powder Barrel, Vienna, 1935)
Amhara nationalism is another name for Ethiopian nationalism, mainly because the Amharas are by far its largest, if not its most ardent, adherents. The Amharas religiously adhere to Ethiopian nationalism so much so they revere the green-yellow-red tricolor of this nationalism as much as they revere their religious symbols, be it the cross or the crescent, proudly displaying it in all religious ceremonies and adoring themselves with it in all celebrations. This is why, in their attempt to belittle the anti-colonialist, black nationalist Ethiopia the Amharas are passionate about, Tigre and Oromo tribalists as well as their western backers often refer to her as “Amhara Ethiopia”. For instance, the rallying cry of Oromo tribalists is “Ethiopia out of Oromia”.
And yet, nobody (not even the most fanatics of these tribalists) could deny that most of the leaders as well as the high government and military officials of this so called “Amhara Ethiopia” were partially, if not totally, non-Amhara, and that Amharas are, at least economically, the least beneficiaries of this “Amhara Ethiopia”. If anything, these tribalists often contradict themselves, one day claiming that anything and everything Ethiopian is theirs and theirs only, and the next day declaring that they are not Ethiopians and have nothing to do with Ethiopia.
The Ethiopian nationalism proudly espoused by Amharas and scintillatingly epitomized by Emperor Menelik insured the very survival of Ethiopia by marshalling all of the country around it, enabled the country to crushingly defeat European colonialists at Adwa, paved the way for decolonization of the entire continent of Africa, initiated pan-Africanism, and laid the very foundation of black pride and black nationalism for blacks all over the world. The green-yellow-red flag of this nationalism was adopted by many African countries after liberation from European colonialism.
No wonder white supremacists and neocolonialists (especially those from the US, UK, and France) who have never succeeded to subjugate Ethiopia from without, have forever been trying to weaken it from within by flaming anti-Amhara tribalism. Chief among these proponents and promotors of anti-Amhara tribalism was the Nazi Baron Roman Prochazka (1900-1990).
Roman Frieherr von Prochazka was a member of the Bohemian nobility who served in the German army during the second world war. He was sentenced to seven years in prison and forced labor in Czech mines for his collaboration with Nazis after the end of the war. He was posted as Austrian consul in Addis Ababa for two years until his expulsion in February 1934 for activities “incompatible with his diplomatic office”. Soon after his expulsion from Ethiopia, he published a small book in Vienna in 1935 (the year of Italian invasion) under the title “Abessinien: Die Schwarz Gefhar” (Abyssinia: The Black Danger). The book was translated in English as “Abyssinia: The Powder Barrel” and in Italian as “Abissinia: Pericolo Nero”.
Through his book, Prochazka tried to alert white supremacists that Emperor Haile Selassie, in “close co-operation with Japan”, was waging a “life and death struggle with the white race, the consequences of which are incalculable.” Worried by the pan-African nature of Emperor Haile Selassie’s struggle, he warned that “the targets are the colonial powers in Africa without exception.” Indignant that Ethiopians saw him no more or no less than another human being from a different, albeit smaller, continent, he lamented that
“It is hardly possible to imagine a more unhappy situation of a white man than to have to live under the oppression of an Abyssinian grandee. The prevalence of this contemptuous invective is characteristic of the mentality and attitude of the natives who imagine themselves to be infinitely superior to the white race.” (Roman Prochazka, Abyssinia: The Powder Barrel, Vienna, 1935)
According to Prochazka, westerners should do their best not to allow nationalist Amharas rule Ethiopia, and if they happen to rule Ethiopia, such an “Amhara ruled” Ethiopia should be severely weakened, lest its leaders unify “all black people so as to attack and destroy Western culture.” His prescription for weakening Ethiopia is to demonize the Amhara and to instigate “the numerous tribes who inhabit the Ethiopian state” to rebel against the Amhara so that these tribes will freely choose to be colonized by Europeans.
Prochazka’s appeal to all westerners to defend western culture from Abyssinian rulers “who imagine themselves to be infinitely superior to the white race” has found many followers. As white power on black Africa wanes, and as Ethiopia becomes too strong for direct attack from without, weakening it from within to implode it when necessary became the only viable option available to neocolonialists. As a result, proponents of Prochazka’s prescription for Ethiopia increased by leaps and bounds to the extent that some of them held or are now holding prominent positions in several western governments, particularly in those of the US and UK.
The history of US foreign policy on Ethiopia abounds with numerous examples which clearly show that the Africa desk of the state department is overseen by Prochazka’s ghost. Principally, this ghost requires that statesmen who demonize Amharas and champion the “the numerous tribes who inhabit the Ethiopian state” are assigned to key position in the state department to play key roles. One of these key players was Mr. Herman Cohen who was the U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs under George H. W. Bush (1989 – 1993). Mr. Cohen’s true feelings for Amhara and what he considers “Amhara Ethiopia” was clearly expressed by his twit right after Amhara region leaders were viciously murdered in Bahr Dar on June 22, 2019.
”Failed coup in #Ethiopia’s Amhara state was an attempt by ethnic nationalists to restore Amhara hegemony over all of Ethiopia that existed for several centuries prior to 1991. That dream is now permanently dead.” (Herman Cohen, Twitter, June 24, 2019)
Notice the similarity between Mr. Cohen’s tweet and Mr. Prochazka’s statements. Prochazka wrote about the numerous tribes of Ethiopia “being forcibly kept from European colonialism by Abyssinian rulers”, while Cohen twitted about “Amhara hegemony over all of Ethiopia that existed for several centuries prior to 1991”. Therefore, according to Mr. Cohen, prior to 1991, everything of in Ethiopia was of Amhara, for Amhara, by Amhara, for that is what hegemony basically means. Put another way, according to Mr. Cohen, Ethiopia was “Amhara Ethiopia” for several centuries until TPLF made it “Ethiopian’s Ethiopia” in 1991. This is what TPLF and OLF have been preaching their flock ever since they were founded.
No wonder this was the same Herman Cohen who played a critical role in imposing the tribalist TPLF on Ethiopians in 1991. He did so by playing a deceitful role in the “London Peace Talks” where he convinced the Ethiopian military command to declare ceasefire “for the sake of peace” while urging TPLF rebels to fight with all their might to enter the capital (Addis Ababa) and control it as quickly as possible.
After Herman Cohen, the chief US advocate of the “the numerous tribes who inhabit the Ethiopian state” became Ms. Suzan Rice. In this role, Ms. Rice is much more dangerous for the anti-colonialist, black nationalist Ethiopia than Mr. Cohen ever was. This is because she is in the innermost circle of current president of the United States, Mr. Joe Biden, who is reputed to rely heavily on this circle.
For Ethiopians, Ms. Rice is an enigma. As a well-educated African American, one would expect her to subscribe to Ethiopianism, “the sociopolitical movement to unify all people of African heritage into one global community”. Since Ethiopianism is, as its name implies, rooted in Ethiopian nationalism, and since Ethiopian nationalism is synonymous with Amhara nationalism, under normal circumstances, Ms. Rice should be at least sympathetic to Amhara cause, if not an outright supporter. She should certainly oppose the neocolonialist agenda of weakening a symbolic black African country by western sponsored anti-Amhara tribalism. However, for reasons known only to her, her words and actions are so in-line with Prochazka’s anti-Amhara agenda that he could not have been prouder of her.
She served as the US Ambassador to the United Nations under President Obama and is now serving as the director of the US Domestic Policy Council under President Biden. She was so close to the late TPLF leader (Meles Zenawi) to the extent that Ethiopians suspect that there may have been more to their close relationship than meets the eye. She is on the record declaring Meles Zenawi’s sham election of 2015 (where he won 100% of parliamentary seats) was “100% democratic”, making that electron the first ever in the whole world to be declared so. She said so while laughing her heart out to express her 100% satisfaction with the result of the “100% democratic” election, disparaging those who dispute it as “idiots”. In short, Ms. Rice seems to get immense sadistic pleasure by infuriating Amharas, as if she was once scorned by an Amhara she deeply loved.
She is now in full control of the Africa desk of the state department through her hypnotic hold on Mr. Blinken who was her deputy when she served as national security advisor under Obama (2013-2017). Apparently, regarding Ethiopia, Mr. Blinken not only cannot do but also does not want to do anything and everything she disapproves, even slightly. And she disapproves anything and everything she considers even slightly beneficial to “Amhara Ethiopia”.
Confounding Ethiopia’s problem is Ms. Gayle Smith (a longtime associate of Ms. Rice) who also now has a prominent position in the state department. As a freelance journalist for BBC and Financial times, Ms. Smith was a frequent visitor of TPLF controlled areas in the 1980’s and was rumored to be an item with one of the rebel commanders (known by nom de guerre as “Jamaica”). She is so pro TPLF that she wrote an article defending the kidnapping of westerners by TPLF as a means of getting publicity. What is more, she did so in 1983 when hostage taking was the highest form of terrorism.
As a close confidant of Meles Zenwai, Ms. Smith was the principal architect of his rise on international stage representing Africa in G-20, even though everything he stands for (especially his promotion of tribalism) is anti-Africa. She was the senior director for African affairs under President Clinton when Clinton hailed Mr. Zenawi as the prime exponent of “Africa’s new generation of leaders” the west can “do business” with.
As chief of staff for USAID (1994-1998), Ms. Smith poured billions after billions into TPLF’s bottomless coffers under the guise of humanitarian assistance, most of which was laundered back to the US. A fraction of these billions laundered back to the US was used to buy expensive lobbyists, influential statesmen, congressmen, senators, pseudo experts, corrupt academics in known universities and colleges, and, nowadays, reporters in main media outlets.
The United States declared its independence from Britain by proclaiming that a Government with “a long train of abuses and usurpations” should be overthrown not only as a matter of right but also as a matter of duty. And yet, its state department demands that Amharas graciously accept TPLF’s minority rule under which they have been unimaginably abused and usurped for more than three decades. Surely, there is no limit to western hypocrisy.
When Mele’s Zenawi’s notorious Agazi (the equivalent of Hitler’s SS) openly murdered more than two hundred Addis Ababa protestors (mostly Amharas) following the highly disputed May 2005 election, the US State department blamed the massacre on “lumpen” protestors and, thanking Mr. Zenawi for quickly putting the protest under control, funneled additional millions for “additional training” of the Agazi.
After overthrowing Mengistu’s regime in 1991 with full backing of the west, the tribalist “liberation” fronts TPLF and OLF forcefully introduced an anti-Amhara ethnic apartheid system. They did so by crafting a Bantustan “constitution” which divides Ethiopia into language-based ethnic regions called Kililis which solely belong to one and only one ethnicity residing in the kilil. What is more, TPLF and OLF adopted the ethnic “constitution” without Amhara participation, even though Amharas are one of the two largest, if not the largest, majority in Ethiopia.
A prime example of these TPLF introduced apartheid kilils is the “Benshangul-Gumuz Kilil”. This kilil was formed by renaming one-half of the Amhara province of Gojam, and then constitutionally labelling Gojam Amharas of the kilil as “settlers” who have absolutely no say in the running of the kilil. As if this was not enough, TPLF and OLF are now viciously cleansing these Amhara “settlers” from the kilil through their junior partner, the Gumuz Liberation Front (GLF).
Immediately after his “victory over Amhara Ethiopia” 1991, Mr. Zenawi effectively doubled the size of what used to be called Tigray Province by annexing a huge, fertile region from Gonder Province (known as Wokait), and another huge, fertile region from Wello Province (known as Raya), and renamed these annexed regions “Western Tigray” and “Southern Tigray”. For Meles Zenawi, these annexed regions were simply the spoils of his victory over “Amhara Ethiopia”. His western backers not only concurred with Meles on these annexations but also financed the cleansing of Amharas from these annexed regions to make the annexation permanent.
Even though TPLF has ruled Ethiopia for more than a quarter of a century, it has never ever considered itself Ethiopian. That is why it has not changed its name, like, for example, EPLF (Eritrean People’s Liberation Front) changed its name to PFDJ (People’s Front for Democracy and Justice) after achieving its goal. Unlike EPLF, TPLF has not yet achieved its goal. Its goal has always been to exploit Ethiopia as much as possible by divide and rule and, when it cannot exploit it anymore, to break it up by divide and collide. After fragmenting Ethiopia in a way the fragments will never pose a threat, it will declare the independence the “Greater Republic of Tigray”, greater because it includes the huge regions of Welkait and Raya annexed from Amhara, and renamed, respectively, “Western Tigray”, and “Southern Tigray”.
After being relegated to Mekelle for about three years and, therefore, prevented from milking Ethiopia for that long, TPLF decided the time was ripe to achieve its ultimate goal by dissolving Ethiopia. On November 3 (2020) it went for the kill by launching a treasonous “lightening operation” on the norther command of the Ethiopian National Defense Forces (ENDF) whereby, in a span of an hour or two, it selectively rounded and summarily executed almost all Amhara officers of the command, while taking soldiers and officers of other ethnicities as prisoners of war. Then, assuming that it has degraded ENDF so much so that it exists only in name, it began to invade the Amhara region on its way to Addis Ababa. However, the Amhara region forces stopped TPLF dead at kirakir, completely reversing the dynamics of the war. By doing so, the Amhara region forces not only saved Ethiopia from dissolution by TPLF, but also reinstated the rightful names of the regions annexed by TPLF to return them to their rightful owners, the Amharas.
As expected, this was too much for the anti-Amhara Prochazka ghost overseeing the US state department. No sooner was TPLF’s plan foiled than Prochazka’s ghost reared its ugly head to demand that the regions TPLF annexed should not only retain their TPLF nomenclature but also should be returned to full control by TPLF.
“We … urge the Government of Ethiopia to withdraw Amhara regional forces from the Tigray region and ensure that effective control of western Tigray is returned to the Transitional Government of Tigray.” (Press Statement, Anthony J. Blinken, May 15, 2021)
The US state department implicitly invokes the TPLF constitution to back up its demand that “Western Tigray” be returned to TPLF. This only shows that the people who run the state department are either ill-informed or are deliberate ill-informers, at least in the case of Ethiopia. First, the TPLF constitution has no bearing on Amharas who had no part in it and were, in fact, deliberately excluded from it. Second, these regions were officially annexed in 1991 on the very day TPLF controlled Addis Ababa, and three full years before the TPLF constitution was forcefully imposed on Amharas in 1994. If TPLF didn’t need a constitution to incorporate these regions into Tigray, and if the west implicitly agreed with the incorporation (by raising no objection), why should Amharas need a constitution to reincorporate what were originally theirs, and why does the west object the reincorporation?
However, the more important question is why would the US department interfere in the internal affairs of sovereign Ethiopia so much so that it insists that it draw its provincial lines? Why does it insist that “effective control of western Tigray is returned to the Transitional Government of Tigray” when it knows for sure that the so called “Transitional Government of Tigray” was nothing but TPLF by another name?
And the simple answer is, because it is in line with Prochazka’s prescription for weakening Ethiopia by tribalism. If TPLF has full control of the so called “Western Tigray”, it will share a boundary with Sudan which has always been heaven for anti-Ethiopia tribalists. This will surely make Ethiopia very vulnerable, and an easy pray for TPLF, OLF and their western backers. It will be so weak that a tiny, single spark may implode it.
On the other hand, Ethiopia being the alpha and omega of Amharas, a strong Amhara region is necessary (if not sufficient) for strong Ethiopia. Therefore, if Welkait and Raya zones are allowed to rejoin their rightful Amhara region, the region will be the most powerful region in Ethiopia in virtually all aspects, be it population or natural resources. As a very powerful pro-Ethiopia region, it will keep in check all anti-Ethiopia tribalists, rendering Prochazka’s dream of weakening Ethiopia by tribalism forever irredeemable.
By its own admission, the TPLF dominated apartheid government could not account for the loss of 2.5 million Amharas in its 2007 census. Since TPLF is well known for over-reporting or under-reporting data to fit its narrative, the actual loss in Amhara population is believed to be double the loss admitted by TPLF (about five million) which is more than the entire population of Tigray proper. Even the admitted loss of 2.5 million Amharas would make the genocide of Amhara by TPLF the worst genocide the world has ever seen, next only to the holocaust, definitely worse than the Rwandan genocide.
No wonder why the TPLF flag is as painful to Amharas as the swastika is to Jews. Asking Amharas to negotiate with TPLF is akin to asking Jews to negotiate with Nazis. A sane Amhara will never ever sit on the same table with TPLF, and those who do in the name of Amharas are either sick Amharas or anti-Amharas masquerading as Amharas. Regardless, to save TPLF from its imminent demise, the state department seems to be busy preparing sick or fake Amharas for negotiation with TPLF without precondition.
“We reiterate our call for …negotiations without preconditions…” (US Department of State, Press Statement, December 17, 2021)
There is no better proof for the scope and severity of Amhara’s persecution under TPLF than the so called “Western Tigray” region which was ethnically cleansed to settle TPLF rebels. What is more, the region was ethnically cleansed in full view of the US state department. In fact, the US state department played a key role in this ethnic cleansing by enticing the Amharas of this region to migrate en masse to Sudan in the hope of resettling in the US. In essence, the Amharas in what the US state department prefers to call “Western Tigray” were ethnically cleansed by the combined push-pull effect of TPLF and the state department. TPLF was pushing by swinging its sword, while the state department was pulling by dangling its green card.
Of these millions of Amharas (who were ethnically cleansed from the so called “Western Tigray” by the combined push-pull effect of TPLF and State Department), the tiny fraction who got the chance to resettle in the US mostly live in Columbus, Ohio. Ironically, Columbus (Ohio) is very close to the very birthplace of the very person who played a key role in getting western tacit approval and financial backing for the ethnic cleansing, Ms. Gayle Smith.
Ms. Smith should not have to be told that Wolkait was not part of Tigray. She must have witnessed the stiff oppositions of the brave Wolkait Amharas to TPLF incursions while she was roaming the area with her TPLF comrades in search of news to get TPLF “publicity”. Instead, she plays ignorant and (together with Suzan Rice and Antony Blinken) is out in full force to label Wolkait Amharas invaders of “Western Tigray”, and accuse them of committing genocide on “Western Tigrayans”.
“The United States is gravely concerned by unconfirmed new reports alleging mass detentions, killings, and forced expulsions of ethnic Tigrayans in western Tigray by Amhara security forces. The UN reports that 1.2 million people have been forcibly displaced from western Tigray since the beginning of the conflict in November 2020. We call on Amhara leaders to renounce violence against civilians.” (US Department of State, Press Statement, December 17, 2021)
In its zeal to accuse Wolkait Amharas of massive genocide and, perhaps, use the pretext to bomb them out of existence, the US state department didn’t even bother to check its simple arithmetic. Though very fertile, the so called “Western Tigray” is heavily infested with malaria that, even at best of times, its population barely exceeds half a million. It is a pity that one of the key departments of a superpower with a propensity to police the entire world is lead by, not mathematically, but arithmetically challenged, illogical individuals. If 1.2 million Tigrayans have been “forcibly displaced from western Tigray since the beginning of the conflict in November 2020”, what would that make the population of the entire province of Tigray?
Speaking of atrocities committed on Tigrayans, one can’t help asking the following question. Suppose that the “unconfirmed new reports” of atrocities committed on Tigrayans are not fake reports by TPLF biased reporters of Reuters, AP, BBC, and CNN, but are confirmed to be true. Then they would surely be manna to TPLF. If so, why is the TPLF itself not suspected of committing these atrocities? After all, TPLF is well known for orchestrating the mass murder of Tigrayans and then blaming it on Amharas to gain as much Tigrayan and western support as possible.
A case in point is the Hawzen massacre (June 22, 1988) in which TPLF conspired with its members inside Ethiopian Airforce to indiscriminately bomb Tigrayan civilians in an open market, while it (meaning TPLF) was closely and clearly recording the massacre from all angles. Then, the clearly recorded horrifying scene was widely shown without any qualm to demonize Amharas, to swell the rank and file of TPLF, and to rally the west behind TPLF’s anti-Amhara cause.
Ethiopians who know the devious nature of TPLF very well from first-hand experience, would not be surprised if the relatives of Dr. Tedros Adhanom (the current director general of the World Health Organization) were murdered by his own TPLF for the sole purpose of making him cry in public so as to garner worldwide sympathy. They would also not be surprised if Dr. Adhanom, himself being a TPLF leader, was lying when he said he does not know the whereabouts of his relatives in Tigray, lying, crying and bravado being the hallmark of TPLF leaders and their cohorts. They lie with their teeth when they are caught red handed, cry like a baby when they are spanked, and roar like a lion when they kill a fly. Above all, their baseless hatred and cruelty towards Amharas is unimaginable.
As if their own crime against Amhara was not enough, they were covertly helping OLF to massacre Amharas in Oromia Kilil which, according the TPLF’s apartheid constitution, belongs only to Oromos, even though Amharas are by far the largest majority in virtually all big cities and towns of the Kilil, such as Debre Zeit, Nazret, Assela, Shashemene, and Zeway. The well documented, savage massacre of Amharas in Bedeno, Arbagugu, and Gurafarda are prime examples of OLF atrocities with full backing of TPLF, and in full view of TPLF’s western backers.
For westerners the best option to control Ethiopia through puppets is to have TPLF lead the country. First, because the TPLF has baseless and, therefore, incurable hatred of the Amharas it prefers to call Timkihitegnoch (the haughty), may be because, deep down, it is ashamed of its own submissiveness. Second, because TPLF is an insignificant minority and, therefore, has to completely rely on external help to rule Ethiopia. No one in Ethiopia has the willingness to be as subservient to the west as anti-Amhara rebels or elites from Tigray. They have been doing it for so long throughout Ethiopian history that it seems to be in their genes, so to speak.
The next best option for westerners (to make Ethiopia an easily controllable weakling) is to impose OLF on the Ethiopian people. First, because OLF’s hatred of Amhara is at least as vehement as that of TPLF so that there is no chance in hell of Oromo-Amhara synergy, like the one which was key to the victory of Adwa. Second, because OLF is so tribalistic and so narrow, it cannot rouse the whole Oromo (especially the all-important Shewa Oromo) let alone the whole Ethiopia and, therefore, must rely on external help to rule Ethiopia, just like the TPLF.
TPLF and OLF cooperate not because they have a common cause but because they have a common enemy, the Amhara people. Should they succeed making Amhara irrelevant in Ethiopian politics, they will soon be on each other’s throat. However, the west is not worried a bit about that eventuality because it does not care for TPLF and OLF per se. For that matter, it does not care for Tigre or Oromo people. This is what TPLF and OLF tribalistic elites do not understand or are deliberately made not to understand. Westerners not only don’t care about these tribalistic elites but also disdain them. In fact, they look up on nationalistic Amhara elites who stand up to them but look down on tribalistic Tigre and Oromo elites who kneel down for them.
Westerners seem to care for Tigre and Oromo people by caring for their tribalistic TPLF and OLF elites, only because these tribalistic elites are their wild dogs on leashes, ever ready to bark on or bite Amharas whenever ordered. The only reason westerners consistently talk about fabricated atrocities committed by Emperor Menelik in the past or Amhara forces in the present is to make these wild tribalistic dogs wilder by intensifying their Amhara hatred.
For westerners, their apparent bias to Tigrayans or Oromos is not an end but a means to an end, the end being making Amharas irrelevant in Ethiopian politics. And, making Amharas irrelevant in Ethiopian politics is the alpha and omega of the state department’s policy on Ethiopia, for the simple reason that an Amhara nationalist leader is most likely to be a thorn on western neocolonialists because of his/her, as Prochazka put it, “mentality and attitude of” being “infinitely superior to the white race.”
Speaking of making Amharas irrelevant in Ethiopian politics, one can’t help saying a few words about the push-pull relationship between Abiy Ahmed and the west. On the one hand, Abiy Ahmed is the darling of the west since he has achieved astounding results in making Amharas irrelevant in Ethiopian politics. In this respect, what OLF and TPLF achieved in their entire history pales in comparison to what Abiy Ahmed achieved in just three year. No doubt he deserves the Nobel Peace Prize, which is awarded only to those who promote western agenda in the name of peace but not to nationalist peaceful leaders like the great Mahatma Gandhi.
However, as far as westerners are concerned, Abiy Ahmed has a baggage and, therefore, cannot be fully trusted. On the one hand, he may have Amhara blood on his mother’s side. On the other hand, he is married to an Amhara from, of all places, Gonder. Therefore, westerners are duly worried that Abiy Ahmed may one day change his anti-Amhara course (however slightly) if left to be influenced by the few Amhara elites near him. They know that Abiy Ahmed has insatiable lust for power, that he is willing to satisfy it by any means necessary, and that, if his only way to cling to power is by acquiescing to some of Amhara demands, he will do so, albeit regretfully. Therefore, westerners have to handle Abiy Ahmed with utmost care.
Not only westerners, Oromo tribalists also have to handle Abiy Ahmed with utmost care. Like westerners, Oromo tribalists do not have full trust in Abiy Ahmed, for the sole reason that he is “half Oromo”. These tribalists rally behind him only because he is able to do what they can’t do and will never be able to do vis-a-vis Amhara. The moment they find a “full Oromo” they can fully trust who can do what Abiy Ahmed is doing now as effectively, they will betray Abiy Ahmed in the blink of an eye. And Abiy Ahmed knows it and is trying his best to allay their fear by being harsher on Amhara every day than he was the day before.
Abiy Ahmed joined “Oromo freedom” fighters at an early age when he would hardly know what Oromo oppression means. He grew up feeding on TPLF’s anti-Amhara narrative, and was trusted by TPLF so much so that he became head of the all-important INSA (Information Network Security Agency) with the rank of a colonel. As far as westerners are concerned, this is a plus for Abiy Ahmed. For them he is the ideal TPLF-OLF combo. All they have to do is remove the Amhara element in Abiy Ahmed.
They are trying to do so by implicating Amhara forces of genocide in places they never set foot on (Axum, Shire, Wukro …). They reckon that by doing so they can shame and scare Amhara leaders and elites from posing any meaningful threat to Abiy Ahmed or, for that matter, to any Oromo or Tigre tribalist. The US state department would rather deal with Abiy Ahmed with all his baggage than see an Amhara, even a weakling like Demeke Mekonnen, replace him. It prefers an OLF and/or TPLF devil than an Amhara angel.
After the TPLF was chased out of Addis Ababa (thanks to Amharas’ continual opposition and occasional revolt against degradation, marginalization, and persecution by TPLF) it openly formed a coalition front with OLF. This TPLF-OLF duo is now viciously massacring thousands of Amharas in Oromia Kilil on daily basis. The continual massacre of Amharas in Wellega region of Oromia Killi is so vicious and so rampant that even the pro-western Amnesty International could not ignore it, even though the state department is completely mum about it. For instance, according to Amnesty International, 54 Amharas were summarily executed by OLF in a school yard in the village of Gawa Qanqa on November 1, 2020. Two days later (on November 3, 2020) the TPLF started the so called “Tigray conflict” by attacking the northern command and slaughtering most of its Amhara officers.
The US state department has been talking about “unconfirmed reports” of atrocities purportedly committed by Amharas on Tigrayans ad nauseam. It has repeated it so often that it has become tiresome, if not annoying, even to Tigrayans. On the other hand, the US state department adamantly refuses to express concern, let alone to condemn, the well documented, irrefutable atrocities committed on Amharas by TPLF and/or OLF.
“The United States is gravely concerned by reports of atrocities in Ethiopia’s Tigray region. We strongly condemn the killings, forced removals, sexual violence, and other violations of human rights. The international community must work together to prevent further atrocities” (@SecBlinken, Feb 27, 2021)
Prochazka’s ghost overseeing the African desk of the state department strictly orders that atrocities committed on Amharas by TPLF, OLF and other ethnic liberation fronts should be denounced only as a lip service, and only if they have to be denounced for the sole purpose of giving semblance of fairness. Behind the curtain, they should be encouraged and aided in all possible ways so that “the numerous tribes who inhabit the Ethiopian state” are not “forcibly kept from European colonialism by Abyssinian rulers whose aim is to act as champions of all black people”.
Email: Mesfin Arega
mesfin.arega@gmail.com