The Minority Regime in Ethiopia
Sophia Tesfamariam
December 12, 2006
I have long maintained that a Tigrayan minority clique headed by the genocidal, flip flopping, vote rigging defiant Prime Minster Meles Zenawi rules today's Ethiopia. Although a great majority of Ethiopians, and others who know and understand the reality in Ethiopia, agree with my assertions, there are however some gullible/innocent people and mercenary individuals, who dismiss my assertions, probably and understandably, because I am an Eritrean American. An Ethiopian writer recently dismissed my assertions calling them “old, overused and useless method of propaganda”. He went on to write:
When minorities like Ethiopian Afar, Gurage, Somali and Hadiyas hold high positions in Ethiopian government; this should applauded and be a sign of progress not a sign of minority regression or illegitimacy…”
If that were the case in Ethiopia today, I would gracefully accept the gentlemen’s arguments, but the facts say otherwise. I am not the only person that is making these assertions about the regime in Ethiopia. Professor Mesfin Wolde Mariam, Chairman of the Ethiopian Human Rights Council (EHRC), who is now languishing in jail on trumped up charges of “inciting genocide” has in the past aptly described Meles’ regime as being:
" … an ethnic-based federation… dominated by the minority ethnic Tigrayans… the federal structure in effect divides and rules larger ethnic groups such as the Oromos and Amharas and bars non-members of the Tigrayan People's Liberation Front…”
Professor Mesfin Wolde Mariam is not biased when he says that the Meles regime is dominated by the minority ethnic Tigrayans. He is just stating the facts as he and other Ethiopians know them to be. As if Ethiopia has a shortage of qualified and capable sons and daughters, the key and most important government posts are held by Tigrayans. The Prime Minister is Tigrayan, so is the Foreign Minister, Chief of Police, Chief of Staff, Chief of Security, Mayor of Addis Abeba (even though he was voted out of office), Minister of Federal Affairs and his Deputy, even the Patriarch of the Orthodox Church is Tigrayan. In the diplomatic arena, most important Ambassadorial posts are held by Tigrayans or are deliberately staffed by hand picked Tigrayan cadres to act as de facto Ambassadors.
Moreover, Tigray Peoples Liberation Front (TPLF) members and their families control the transportation, manufacturing and several other industries in Ethiopia. Tigray region is also the single highest beneficiary of the massive aid and loan guarantees that is being given to Ethiopia by the IMF, World Bank and international donors. Schools, colleges, roads, airports, factories, and other infrastructure projects are carried out in the Tigray state while the rest of Ethiopia is ignored, and massive debts are incurred, in the name of the Ethiopian people. The new form of Apartheid taking hold in Ethiopia is designed to systematically alienate and deprive the Ethiopian people equal rights, but most importantly it is designed to divide and rule the people of Ethiopia and render them hopeless and helpless.
I have addressed this issue before but I do not mind repeating myself for the benefit of those who may have missed my previous presentation. For that the readers will have to go back and read the "Complete list of Ministers and State Ministers" posted by Ethiopia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs published shortly after the rigged May 2005 elections. What was interesting about the list is not who was on the list, but the fact that it went to great lengths to try to prove it was "ethnically" and "gender" sound in its mix. It might have fooled some gullible individuals, and it may have served the million dollar Ethiopian government lobbyists as they set out to spin and counter spin on behalf of Meles Zenawi’s regime, but it did not fool the majority of Ethiopians.
Meles Zenawi's calculated maneuver, designed to fool Ethiopians and exploit (pillage) Ethiopia's wealth for the benefit of a handful of Tigrayan individuals, was exposed on 13 and 14 October 2005. Meles Zenawi's diplomatic and political 'bag of tricks' was stripped naked. His devious intentions became perfectly clear to the entire world, and most importantly to the people of Ethiopia. His latest cabinet and ministerial appointments were in fact meant to consolidate and solidify the power of the Tigrayan minority clique.
When Meles initially announced his list of Ministers, unaware of what the deceptive Prime Minister had up his sleeves, Allafrica.com in its 13 October 2005 report said this about Meles Zenawi's cabinets "ethnic mix":
"...Five of the new ministers are members of the Oromo ethnic community, Ethiopia's largest with approximately 30 million people. Seven are from the Amhara community, the second largest ethnic group in the country. Three members, including the prime minister, are Tigrayan, who make up 6 percent of the population..."
So far so good, or so it would seem...until Medhane Tadesse, a card-carrying member of the Tigray Peoples Liberation Front (TPLF), Meles Zenawi's advisor and spin doctor, who had been instructed to calm the nerves of apprehensive Tigrayans by his boss, weighs in with this comment to assure the Tigrayans that all is well on their front:
"Some of their top people have lost their ministerial portfolios because they have been taken to strengthen the party rather than the government... Maybe the lesson they have learned from the election is that the party needs to be strengthened...The same people, however, remain at the top."
Medhane Tadesse, the Tigrayan "political analyst" and Meles' front man, is partially right. It is true that the same people remain at the top but they did not loose their "ministerial portfolios" and they were not taken away to strengthen the party, they were instead transferred to the Prime Minister's Office as his "Advisors with Ranks of Ministers". They now wield more clout and more power and have solidified and consolidated and "strengthened" Meles' Menelik Palace clique.
Beyene Petros, chairman of the opposition United Ethiopian Democratic Forces was not duped by Meles' deceptive shenanigan. He knew exactly where Meles was heading. He told Allafrica.com on 13 October 2005:
"The criteria [Meles] used were party loyalty rather than competence, which has been one of the main reasons implementation of the policies has been poor in the past..."
In addition, expressing his disgust and noting that Meles and his Tigrayan clique were in the process of consolidating power, Bulcha Demekesa, head of the opposition Oromo Federalist Democratic Movement, also not fooled by Meles Zenawi's move, said this to AllAfrica.com:
"...I think the cabinet has actually been weakened with this reshuffle...everything is now under the control of the prime minister. The control seems to be tighter than before with new rules and regulations for the ministers and ministries..."
As was predicted and anticipated by all Ethiopians, the deceptive "appointment" of Ministers on 13 October 2005 with the right "ethnic" and "gender" mix, was exposed on 14 October 2005 when the Tigrayan Prime Minister Meles Zenawi unabashedly appointed his loyal lackeys to key Federal posts under the cover of "Advisors" with full Ministerial status. These appointments practically consolidated the power of the Tigrayan clique under the full command of one person-Meles Zenawi.
In short, real power in Ethiopia is now in the hands of 7 Tigrayans. As a matter of fact, the most influential, important and key Ministries in Ethiopia are directly and fully controlled, run, supervised and monitored by these 7 Tigrayans: Meles Zenawi, Samora Younis, Abay Tsehaye, Mulugeta Alemseged, Newaye-Kiristos Gebre-Ab, Seyoum Mesfin and last but not least, Bereket Simon, a de facto Tigrayan.
I will simply present the facts and the readers can make their own judgments, analysis and conclusions:
1. Meles Zenawi, the Tigrayan Prime Minister, as Commander in Chief of the Ethiopian Armed Forces with the Tigrayan General Samora Younis as his Chief of Staff, has absolute control of the Ethiopian army. Therefore, Kuma Demekesa, from the Oromo ethnic group, is essentially a figurehead with a Defense Minister title- but no bite.
2. Abay Tsehaye, founding member of TPLF, as Public Organization and Participation Advisor to the Prime Minister with the Rank of Minister, according to the new consolidated structure, will control, monitor, supervise and run the so-called Ministry of Federal Affairs. Its newly appointed Minister, Siraj Fegeta, from the Silte (Gurage) ethnic group, will report directly to Abay Tsehaye.
3. Mulugeta Alemseged, a senior member of the TPLF, as National Security Affairs Advisor with the Rank of Minister will control, monitor, supervise and run the entire police and security apparatus in Ethiopia. As the National Security Advisor, he will condense and prepare daily, "intelligence" and "security" reports to Meles
4. Newaye-Kiristos Gebre-Ab, a Tigrayan from Meles' village of Adwa, as Economic Advisor to the Prime Minister with the Rank of Minister will control, monitor, supervise and run all Ministeries associated with economic matters, in particular the Ministries of Finance, Revenue, Trade and Industry, Transportation, Mines and Energy etc. etc. Therefore Sufian Ahmed, Minister Finance and Economic Development, an Oromo; Melaku Fenta, Minister of Revenue, an Amhara; Girma Biru, Minister of Trade and Industry an Oromo; Junedi Sado, Minister of Transport and Communications, also an Oromo; Alemayehu Tegenu, Minister Mines and Energy another Oromo; will all report to Newaye-Kristos Gebre-Ab.
5. Seyoum Mesfin, another Tigrayan, is the Minister of Foreign Affairs. Because he is a trusted Meles disciple, there was no need to create a "Foreign Policy Advisor position with the Rank of a Minister" in the Prime Minister's Office. It should be recalled that Seyoum Mesfin served as TPLF's Foreign Minister for 14 years and has been Ethiopia's Foreign Minister for the last 14 years. He runs the Ministry as if it were his own personal fiefdom.
6. Bereket Simon, (listed as an Amhara), but more TPLF than TPLF itself, as Public Relations Advisor to the Prime Minister with the Rank of Minister will control, monitor, supervise and run the Ministry of Information. Berhan Hailu, Minister of Information, an Amhara, will therefore, report directly to Bereket Simon. Today Bereket Simon has come out of his long hibernation to take the lead in the anti-Somalia propaganda that is in the offing.
As you can see power has been solidified and consolidated in the hands of Tigrayans, hence my assertion that Ethiopia is ruled by a minority clique. This "supra" body completely dominated by the Tigrayan clique, under the guise of "Advisors with Ranks of Ministers", is now ruling Ethiopia with an even tighter and ruthless iron fist, and is pursuing the policies of kill, imprison, intimidate, vilify etc, so that it can remain in power, by any means necessary. As for the Ethiopian Afar, Gurage, Hadiya and Somali, whilst they may hold high positions in the Ethiopian Government, they are all controlled, monitored, supervised and run by Tigrayans.
Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passion, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence”.
John Adams
When minorities like Ethiopian Afar, Gurage, Somali and Hadiyas hold high positions in Ethiopian government; this should applauded and be a sign of progress not a sign of minority regression or illegitimacy…”
If that were the case in Ethiopia today, I would gracefully accept the gentlemen’s arguments, but the facts say otherwise. I am not the only person that is making these assertions about the regime in Ethiopia. Professor Mesfin Wolde Mariam, Chairman of the Ethiopian Human Rights Council (EHRC), who is now languishing in jail on trumped up charges of “inciting genocide” has in the past aptly described Meles’ regime as being:
" … an ethnic-based federation… dominated by the minority ethnic Tigrayans… the federal structure in effect divides and rules larger ethnic groups such as the Oromos and Amharas and bars non-members of the Tigrayan People's Liberation Front…”
Professor Mesfin Wolde Mariam is not biased when he says that the Meles regime is dominated by the minority ethnic Tigrayans. He is just stating the facts as he and other Ethiopians know them to be. As if Ethiopia has a shortage of qualified and capable sons and daughters, the key and most important government posts are held by Tigrayans. The Prime Minister is Tigrayan, so is the Foreign Minister, Chief of Police, Chief of Staff, Chief of Security, Mayor of Addis Abeba (even though he was voted out of office), Minister of Federal Affairs and his Deputy, even the Patriarch of the Orthodox Church is Tigrayan. In the diplomatic arena, most important Ambassadorial posts are held by Tigrayans or are deliberately staffed by hand picked Tigrayan cadres to act as de facto Ambassadors.
Moreover, Tigray Peoples Liberation Front (TPLF) members and their families control the transportation, manufacturing and several other industries in Ethiopia. Tigray region is also the single highest beneficiary of the massive aid and loan guarantees that is being given to Ethiopia by the IMF, World Bank and international donors. Schools, colleges, roads, airports, factories, and other infrastructure projects are carried out in the Tigray state while the rest of Ethiopia is ignored, and massive debts are incurred, in the name of the Ethiopian people. The new form of Apartheid taking hold in Ethiopia is designed to systematically alienate and deprive the Ethiopian people equal rights, but most importantly it is designed to divide and rule the people of Ethiopia and render them hopeless and helpless.
I have addressed this issue before but I do not mind repeating myself for the benefit of those who may have missed my previous presentation. For that the readers will have to go back and read the "Complete list of Ministers and State Ministers" posted by Ethiopia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs published shortly after the rigged May 2005 elections. What was interesting about the list is not who was on the list, but the fact that it went to great lengths to try to prove it was "ethnically" and "gender" sound in its mix. It might have fooled some gullible individuals, and it may have served the million dollar Ethiopian government lobbyists as they set out to spin and counter spin on behalf of Meles Zenawi’s regime, but it did not fool the majority of Ethiopians.
Meles Zenawi's calculated maneuver, designed to fool Ethiopians and exploit (pillage) Ethiopia's wealth for the benefit of a handful of Tigrayan individuals, was exposed on 13 and 14 October 2005. Meles Zenawi's diplomatic and political 'bag of tricks' was stripped naked. His devious intentions became perfectly clear to the entire world, and most importantly to the people of Ethiopia. His latest cabinet and ministerial appointments were in fact meant to consolidate and solidify the power of the Tigrayan minority clique.
When Meles initially announced his list of Ministers, unaware of what the deceptive Prime Minister had up his sleeves, Allafrica.com in its 13 October 2005 report said this about Meles Zenawi's cabinets "ethnic mix":
"...Five of the new ministers are members of the Oromo ethnic community, Ethiopia's largest with approximately 30 million people. Seven are from the Amhara community, the second largest ethnic group in the country. Three members, including the prime minister, are Tigrayan, who make up 6 percent of the population..."
So far so good, or so it would seem...until Medhane Tadesse, a card-carrying member of the Tigray Peoples Liberation Front (TPLF), Meles Zenawi's advisor and spin doctor, who had been instructed to calm the nerves of apprehensive Tigrayans by his boss, weighs in with this comment to assure the Tigrayans that all is well on their front:
"Some of their top people have lost their ministerial portfolios because they have been taken to strengthen the party rather than the government... Maybe the lesson they have learned from the election is that the party needs to be strengthened...The same people, however, remain at the top."
Medhane Tadesse, the Tigrayan "political analyst" and Meles' front man, is partially right. It is true that the same people remain at the top but they did not loose their "ministerial portfolios" and they were not taken away to strengthen the party, they were instead transferred to the Prime Minister's Office as his "Advisors with Ranks of Ministers". They now wield more clout and more power and have solidified and consolidated and "strengthened" Meles' Menelik Palace clique.
Beyene Petros, chairman of the opposition United Ethiopian Democratic Forces was not duped by Meles' deceptive shenanigan. He knew exactly where Meles was heading. He told Allafrica.com on 13 October 2005:
"The criteria [Meles] used were party loyalty rather than competence, which has been one of the main reasons implementation of the policies has been poor in the past..."
In addition, expressing his disgust and noting that Meles and his Tigrayan clique were in the process of consolidating power, Bulcha Demekesa, head of the opposition Oromo Federalist Democratic Movement, also not fooled by Meles Zenawi's move, said this to AllAfrica.com:
"...I think the cabinet has actually been weakened with this reshuffle...everything is now under the control of the prime minister. The control seems to be tighter than before with new rules and regulations for the ministers and ministries..."
As was predicted and anticipated by all Ethiopians, the deceptive "appointment" of Ministers on 13 October 2005 with the right "ethnic" and "gender" mix, was exposed on 14 October 2005 when the Tigrayan Prime Minister Meles Zenawi unabashedly appointed his loyal lackeys to key Federal posts under the cover of "Advisors" with full Ministerial status. These appointments practically consolidated the power of the Tigrayan clique under the full command of one person-Meles Zenawi.
In short, real power in Ethiopia is now in the hands of 7 Tigrayans. As a matter of fact, the most influential, important and key Ministries in Ethiopia are directly and fully controlled, run, supervised and monitored by these 7 Tigrayans: Meles Zenawi, Samora Younis, Abay Tsehaye, Mulugeta Alemseged, Newaye-Kiristos Gebre-Ab, Seyoum Mesfin and last but not least, Bereket Simon, a de facto Tigrayan.
I will simply present the facts and the readers can make their own judgments, analysis and conclusions:
1. Meles Zenawi, the Tigrayan Prime Minister, as Commander in Chief of the Ethiopian Armed Forces with the Tigrayan General Samora Younis as his Chief of Staff, has absolute control of the Ethiopian army. Therefore, Kuma Demekesa, from the Oromo ethnic group, is essentially a figurehead with a Defense Minister title- but no bite.
2. Abay Tsehaye, founding member of TPLF, as Public Organization and Participation Advisor to the Prime Minister with the Rank of Minister, according to the new consolidated structure, will control, monitor, supervise and run the so-called Ministry of Federal Affairs. Its newly appointed Minister, Siraj Fegeta, from the Silte (Gurage) ethnic group, will report directly to Abay Tsehaye.
3. Mulugeta Alemseged, a senior member of the TPLF, as National Security Affairs Advisor with the Rank of Minister will control, monitor, supervise and run the entire police and security apparatus in Ethiopia. As the National Security Advisor, he will condense and prepare daily, "intelligence" and "security" reports to Meles
4. Newaye-Kiristos Gebre-Ab, a Tigrayan from Meles' village of Adwa, as Economic Advisor to the Prime Minister with the Rank of Minister will control, monitor, supervise and run all Ministeries associated with economic matters, in particular the Ministries of Finance, Revenue, Trade and Industry, Transportation, Mines and Energy etc. etc. Therefore Sufian Ahmed, Minister Finance and Economic Development, an Oromo; Melaku Fenta, Minister of Revenue, an Amhara; Girma Biru, Minister of Trade and Industry an Oromo; Junedi Sado, Minister of Transport and Communications, also an Oromo; Alemayehu Tegenu, Minister Mines and Energy another Oromo; will all report to Newaye-Kristos Gebre-Ab.
5. Seyoum Mesfin, another Tigrayan, is the Minister of Foreign Affairs. Because he is a trusted Meles disciple, there was no need to create a "Foreign Policy Advisor position with the Rank of a Minister" in the Prime Minister's Office. It should be recalled that Seyoum Mesfin served as TPLF's Foreign Minister for 14 years and has been Ethiopia's Foreign Minister for the last 14 years. He runs the Ministry as if it were his own personal fiefdom.
6. Bereket Simon, (listed as an Amhara), but more TPLF than TPLF itself, as Public Relations Advisor to the Prime Minister with the Rank of Minister will control, monitor, supervise and run the Ministry of Information. Berhan Hailu, Minister of Information, an Amhara, will therefore, report directly to Bereket Simon. Today Bereket Simon has come out of his long hibernation to take the lead in the anti-Somalia propaganda that is in the offing.
As you can see power has been solidified and consolidated in the hands of Tigrayans, hence my assertion that Ethiopia is ruled by a minority clique. This "supra" body completely dominated by the Tigrayan clique, under the guise of "Advisors with Ranks of Ministers", is now ruling Ethiopia with an even tighter and ruthless iron fist, and is pursuing the policies of kill, imprison, intimidate, vilify etc, so that it can remain in power, by any means necessary. As for the Ethiopian Afar, Gurage, Hadiya and Somali, whilst they may hold high positions in the Ethiopian Government, they are all controlled, monitored, supervised and run by Tigrayans.
Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passion, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence”.
John Adams
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