የእሳት ፖለቲካ በኢትዮጵያ (Fire Politics in Ethiopia)

በሃይማኖት መሪዎችና አገልጋዮች ዙሪያ ሰሞኑን አንዲት መጣጥፍ ጽፌ ለድረ ገፆች ልኬ ነበር፡፡ ለኅሊናቸው ተገዢ የሆኑ አወጡት - አስነበቡን፤ እግዚአብሔር ይስጣቸው፡፡ ለባህልና ለይሉኝታ ያደሩት እንዲሁም እነሱ በሚፈልጉት ሙዚቃ ብቻ ታንጎና ማሪንጌ መደነስ የሚፈልጉት ወደቅርጫታቸው ከተቱት - ይክተቱት፡፡ ሁሉም የመሰለውን የማድረግ መብት አለውና ያነበበም ያስነበበም፣ ያፈነም ያሳፈነም የኅሊናው ዳኝነት ይፍረደው ከማለት ውጪ በዚህ በውዥንብር ዘመን መወቃቀሱም ሆነ መካሰሱ ፋይዳ የለውም፡፡ ግን ግን የእውነት አምላክ ለሁላችንም እውነተኛውን የልቦናና የኅሊና ሚዛን እንዲሰጠን እጸልያለሁ፡፡ ሁለትና ሁለት ሲደመር አራት ብቻ የሚሆንበት ሃቀኛ ዘመን እንዲመጣልንም እንዲሁ፡፡ በተረፈ የልጆቼ ልጆች “Mother stomach is ranger.” ሲሉ እሰማለሁና በዚያ “ሜጀር” የተቃኘ የቅሬታ ዘፈኔን ጋብዣቸው በገዢዎቻችን አነጋገር ንቅድሚት እላለሁ፤ ሕይወት እንዲህ ናትና፡፡

አንድ የብዕር ወዳጄ ያቺን መጣጥፍ ካነበበ በኋላ በነካ እጄ በዚህች ወያኔያዊ የእሳት ፖለቲካ ላይ ጥቂት ነገር እንድል አሳሰበኝ፡፡ ርዕሲቱንም የሰጠኝ እርሱ ራሱ ነው - Please take the credit dear Mr. Thingummy, wherever you may be.

ሀገራችን ተመልካች ያጣ የመሃበራዊ ችግር ብቻ ሣይሆን፤ ጭንቅላት የሚያዞሩ እጅግ በርካታ ችግሮች የሚርመሰመሱባት በመሆኗ፤ አንባቢን ላለማስቸገር ወይም ብዙ አንባቢ የለም በሚል ተስፋ መቁረጥ ወይም

“አድማጭና የእርምት እርምጃ ወሳጅ ኃላፊነት የሚሰማው ጤናማ ወገን በሌለበት የኳስ አበደች ሀገራዊ ምስቅልቅል ሁኔታ ውስጥ ተነቦስ ምን ፋይዳ ሊያመጣ?” ከሚል ብሶት የተነሣ ሆን ብለን እየተውነው እንጂ መጻፍ የምንፈልግ ዜጎች የምንጽፈበት ጉዳይ በሽበሽ ነው፤ በበኩሌ አድማጭ ቢኖር ሃያ አራት ሰዓት ብጽፍ የማይደክመኝና የሚያጽፍ ጉዳይም ሞልቶ የተረፈ መሆኑን የምገልጸው የሚያፍኑኝን ድረ ገፆች ደስ አይበላቸው በሚል የመከፋት ስሜት ሳይሆን ተናግረን አድማጭ ባለመኖሩ ሳቢያ በእጅጉ የምቆረቆር መሆኔን በሚጠቁም የቁጭት ስሜት ነው፡፡ የወያኔው የዘረኝነት አባዜ ካስከተለብን ተነግሮ የማያልቅ ሰቆቃና የግፍ አስተዳደር ጀምሮ እነሚሚ ስብሃቱን የመሳሰሉ የሥርዓቱ ዘውጋዊ አባላትና እበላ ባይ ሆዳም ደጋፊዎቻቸው ባቋቋሟቸው የሠራተኛ አስቀጣሪ ድርጅቶች አማካይነት የሚካሄደውን ዘመናዊ ባርነት ብንመለከት ጉዳችን በጽሑፍም ሆነ በቃል ተዘርዝሮ የማያልቅ አስገራሚ ፍጡራን ሆነናል - እኛ “ኢትዮጵያውያን”፡፡ ቴዲ አፍሮ “እዚህ ጋ’ም እሳት፣ እዚያ ጋ’ም እሳት፣ እሳት፣ እሳት፣እሳት…” ሲል እንዳቀነቀነው ሀገራችን ወያኔያዊ እቶን ላይ ተጥዳ በየአቅጣጫው እንደባቄላ አሹቅ እየተንገረገበች ናት፡፡ ፖለቲካው እሳት፣ ሃይማኖቱ እሳት፣ ፌዴራሉ እሳት፣ ፖሊሱ እሳት፣ ቀኑና ሣምንቱ እሳት፣ ወሩና ዓመቱ እሳት፣ ኑሮው እሳት፣ ባለሥልጣናቱ እሳት፣ ነጋዴው እሳት፣ ዳኛው እሳት፣ በሽታው እሳት፣ ርሀቡ እሳት፣…፡፡ ሁሉም በእሳት አለንጋ ይጋረፋል፤ ይጠብሳል፤ ይሸነቁጣል፤ የት እንድረስ? የትስ እንግባ? ከነዚህ ከሲዖል ካመለጡ ሽፍቶች የሚታደገን ማን ነው? አምላከ ኢትዮጵያ ወዴት አለ? ኤሎሄ! ኤሎሄ! ኤሎሁም! በዚህ መከራችን ላይ ነው እንግዲህ ወያኔ በሐረርም በአዲስ አበባም እንደዚያች ተዘውትራ እንደሚነገርላትና “እዚህ አካባቢ እሳት ይነሳል ብያለሁ” ብላ ባስጠነቀቀች ማግስት ራሷ እንደምትለኩሰው የደሴዋ ዕብድ ሴት በሹምባሾቹ አማካይነት በሚፈልጋቸው ቦታዎች ላይ እሳት እየለኮሰ፣ እንዳይጠፋም ከልካይ ዘብ እያቆመ በሀገር ሀብትና በሕዝብ ዕንባ እየተዝናና የሚገኘው፡፡ ለማንኛውም አስታዋሼን ላመስግንና በጠቆመኝ ሃሳብ ዙሪያ እንዳመጣብኝ ትንሽ ልብከንከን፡፡ እውነትን ላለማየት ዐይነ ኅሊናቸው የታወረ፣ እውነትን ላለመስማት ዕዝነ ልቦናቸው የተደፈነ፣ አእምሯቸው በፀረ-ለውጥ ቫይረስ ለፈውስ ባስቸገረ ሁኔታ “corrupted” ለሆነ የ“ሚዲያ ሰዎች”ም የቮልቴርን አባባል ባስታውሳቸው ቅር አይለኝም - ቮልቴር እንዲህ አለ አሉ፡- “በምትናገረው ሁሉ ባልስማማም መናገር የምትፈልገውን ጉዳይ በነፃነት መናገር እንድትችል ግን ሕይወቴንም ቢሆን እገብርልሃለሁ!” አይ ኢትዮጵያ! በሁሉም ድሃ፡፡ ግን ተስፋ አለኝ - ትልቅ ተስፋ፡- ወደፊት አንድ ቀን ይህ ሁሉ ድንቁርናችንና ከንቱ ትምክህታችን እንደጤዛ ሲረግፍልን ሰው እንደምንሆን፡፡

በዓለማችን የፖለቲካ ዓይነቶች ብዙ መሆናቸው ከናንተ የተሠወረ አይደለም፡፡ የድንበር ፖለቲካ፣ የውኃ ፖለቲካ፣ የዘር ፖለቲካ፣ የጎሳ ፖለቲካ፣... የውጭ ብድርና ዕርዳታ ፖለቲካ፣ የሀገር ውስጥ የድርቅ ጊዜና የርሀብ ወቅት ዕርዳታ ፖለቲካ፣ የሃይማኖት ፖለቲካ፣ … ዝርዝሩ ብዙና ኪስን ሳይሆን አንጎልን የሚቀድ ነው፡፡ ወያኔ በኢትዮጵያ ላይ ያልሞከረው የፖለቲካ ዓይነት ደግሞ የለም፡፡ እርግጥ ነው ወያኔ ብቻውን አይደለም፡፡ ይህ ቀረሽ የማይባል ሁለንተናዊ ድጋፍ ለወያኔዎች በገፍ እየሰጡ በ17 ዓመታት ውስጥ የሰው ኃይሉን ከሰባት ሰውነት ወደሚሊዮንነት በማሳደግ ፀረ-ኢትዮጵያ አቋማቸውን በተግባር የገለጡት የውጭ ጠላቶቻችንም በዚህ ኢትዮጵያን ወደፖለቲካዊ ቤተ ሙከራነት የመለወጡ ሂደት ውስጥ ያሳዩት ጉልህ ተሳትፎም ለአፍታ የሚዘነጋ አይደለም፡፡ ከዓለም ሕዝቦች መካከል እኛ ኢትዮጵያውያን ላይ ያልተፈተሸ ፖለቲካዊ መርዝ የለም፡፡ ባጭሩ የወያኔ ብቻ ሣይሆን የፈረንጆቹም guinea pig ሆነን የቀረን ብቸኛ መዘባበቻ ዜጎች ብንኖር እኛ ኢትዮጵያውያን ነን፡፡ እርግጥ ነው እነኢራቅንና አፍጋኒስታንን ብንረሳ አግባብ አይደለም - እኛን እየገረፈን ያለው የኃያላኑ የእሳት ወላፈን እነሱንም እየጠበሰ ነውና፡፡ “አልማሊኪ ቡሽ፣ ካርዛይ ቡሽና መለስ ቡሽ እያሉ ሃቀኛ ሰላም አይኖርም፡፡”

ወያኔ ተግባር ላይ ካዋላቸው ሕዝብን የማሰቃያና ሀገርን የማውደሚያ መንገዶች አንደኛው እሳት ነው፡፡ እንዲህ የምላችሁ ወዳጄ አሁን ስላስታወሰኝ ብቻ እንዳይመስላችሁ፡፡ ከጥንትም በሚገባ አውቀዋለሁ፡፡ ለነገሩ ጨካኝና አምባገነን መንግሥታት ለዓላማቸው ስኬት የማያደርጉት ነገር የለም፡፡ ደርግም በተወሰነ ደረጃ ይህን የእሳት ፖለቲካ ይጠቀምበት እንደነበር በጊዜው ሰምቻለሁ፡፡ ሞኙ ደርግ እሳትን ይጠቀምበት የነበረው ኮንትሮባንድን ከመቆጣጠር አንጻርና በጣም በጥንቃቄ እንደነበር በወቅቱ የነበሩ አሁን ድረስ ያስታውሳሉ፡፡ የወያኔ ግን የተለዬ ነው፡፡

በመሠረቱ ወያኔ ምን እንደሆነ መናገር የዐዋጁን በጆሮ ነው፡፡ ይሁንና ወያኔዎች በተጣባቸው የትውልድ መርገምት ምክንያትም ይሁን በሌላ ከሆዳቸውና ያሻቸውን እንዲሠሩ ከሚጠቅማቸው የጨበጡት ሥልጣን በስተቀር የኢትዮጵያዊነት ስሜት በጭራሽ የሌላቸው፣ እንዲያውም ከያዙት ጥቅምና ሥልጣን ያስወግደናል ብለው የሚፈሩት በቀን ሰመመንና በሌት ቅዠት የሚያባትታቸው የኢትዮጵያዊነት ስሜት በመሆኑ ኢትዮጵያዊ ነኝ የሚልን ዜጋ ሁሉ በየሄደበት እያሳደዱና እየገደሉ በደም ባሕር እየዋኙ የሚኖሩ፣ ጥላቸውንም የማያምኑ የከተማ ወሮበሎች መሆናቸውን እዚህም ላይ በድጋሚ ማስታወሱ በአሰልችነት ሊያስወቅስ አይገባም፡፡ እናም አስታውሱ - ወያኔ የዜጎችን የላብ ውጤት የሆነ ሀብትና ንብረታቸውን ማቃጠል ብቻም ሣይሆን ሕዝብን በሠልፍ ኮልኩሎ እንደሂትለር የኦሽትዊዝ ቻምበር የማይፈልጋቸውን በጋዝ እየለበለበ ቢፈጃቸው የሰይጣናዊ ተፈጥሮው የሞራል ምሰሶ ክፋትና ጥፋት ነውና ደስታን የሚያስገኝለት እንጂ ሰብኣዊነት የሚሰማው ሩህሩህ ፍጡር አይደለም፡፡ ሰብኣዊነትና ወያኔ ዐይንና ናጫ ናቸው፡፡

ወያኔዎች እንደገቡ ሰሞን የምንሰማቸው ብዙ የእሳት አደጋዎች ነበሩ፡፡ እነዚያ እሳቶች እንደሰሞነኞቹ የሕዝብን አንጡራ ሀብትና ገንዘብ ለማቃጠል የታለሙ ሣይሆኑ ጫካና ደን የማያውቁት መደዴዎቹ ወያኔዎች ደቡብ ኢትዮጵያንም እንደሰሜኑ የሀገራችን ክፍል ለማራቆት የታቀዱ ደኖችን የማቃጠል ወያኔያዊ የክተት ዘመቻዎች ነበሩ፡፡ በርካታ የደቡብና የኦሮሞ ብሔር መኖሪያ አካባቢዎች በነዚያ ወያኔ በቀሰቀሳቸው የሰደድ እሳቶች ተቃጥለዋል - አንጀታቸው ለተፈጥሮም የሚጨክን አረመኔዎች ናቸው፡፡ በምክንያትነት ሲቀርብ የነበረው ግን የኦነግን ሸማቂዎች ከምንጫቸው ለማድረቅና መደበቂያ ቦታ ለማሳጣት የሚል ነበር፡፡ ትግራይ ውስጥ ወያኔን ሊደብቅ የሚችል ዋሻ ካልሆነ በስተቀር ደንና ጫካ እንዳልነበረ ይታወቃል፡፡ ሆኖም ግን ጫካ ቢኖር ኖሮ ወያኔን ለማጥፋት በሚል ሰበብ የደርግ መንግሥት ነዳጅ በቦቴ መኪናዎች ጫካ ውስጥ እየደፋ በአብሪ ጥይትም በአሻጋሪ እየለኮሰ ሀገር ለማቃጠል የሚያበቃው የሞራል ድቀት ውስጥ እንዳልነበረ ያንጀቴን እመሰክራለሁ - ሰው ካልሞተ ሚስትም ካልተፈታች ወይ ካልሞተች አይመሰገኑም ወንድማለም፡፡ ደርግ ዜጎችንና ሀገርን በእሳት አይቀጣም፤ ደርግ ኢትዮጵያዊ ጨካኝ እንጂ እንደወያኔ ወፍዘራሽ የባንዳ ውላጅ አልነበረም፡፡ እሳት ባለጌ ነው፡፡ እሳት እጅግ መጥፎ ነው፡፡ ምሕረትን አያውቅም፡፡ እንኳንስ ዜጋህን ጠላትህንም ቢሆን በአግባቡ ውጋው እንጂ፣ በአግባቡ ቅጣው እንጂ ኢ-ሰብኣዊ በሆነ ሁኔታ በእሳት አትገርፈውም፡፡ እነሂትለርና ሙሶሊኒ እንኳንስ ዜጎቻቸውን ጠላቶቻቸውንም ቢሆን በሰደድ እሳት አልቀጡም፤ በእሳት መቅጣት የጀግና ሙያ ሳይሆን የፈሪ ዱላ ነው፡፡ ወያኔ ግን ከየትኛው የጀሃነብ ሰማይ እንደወረደብን አይታወቅም ይሄውና ጫካና ደንን ከማቃጠል አልፎ የምሥኪን ዜጎችን ቤትና ንብረት እንዳሻው በሚያዛቸው ኅሊናቢስ ጀሌዎቹ እያቃጠለ ይገኛል፡፡ ወያኔ እኮ በእሳትም ብቻ ሳይሆን እንደተራ ተንኮለኛ ዜጋ ምግብንና መጠጥን በመመረዝና የታወቀ ጠንቋይ ቤት ድረስም በመሄድ የሚጠላቸውን የሚያስወግድ ጉደኛ ፍጡር ነው፡፡ ኪሮስ አለማየሁ እንዴት ሞተ? አለማየሁ አቶምሳስ? በውነት ቆሻሾች ናቸው፡፡ ምን አድርገን ይሆን ፈጣሪ እነዚህ ለቅጣት የሰጠን ግን? እስኪ ወደዬኅሊና ጓዳችን እንግባና ራሳችንን በቅጡ እንመርምር፡፡

በዚያን ሰሞን ሐረር ውስጥ የተቃጠለው መንደር የዚሁ የወያኔን ዜጎችን በእሳት የመቅጣት የእሳት ፖለቲካ ያሳያል፡፡ የኢትዮጵያን ገንዘብ ለራሱ ፖለቲካ በመጠቀም ዜጎችን በአነስተኛና ቀጫጭን የሚባል አዲስ ፈሊጥ እያደራጀ አንዱን ርሃብተኛ ሌላውን ጥጋበኛ እያደረገ እናያለን፡፡ በጥቃቅን የማይደራጅን በጠላትነት በመፈረጅ በገቡበት እየገባ ያሳድዳቸዋል፡፡ ከወያኔ የተለዬ ነጋዴ ኑሮውና ግብሩ እሳት ሆነው እንዲያቃጥሉትና ከሀገር እንዲጠፋ ወይም በርሀብ አለንጋ ተገርፎ እንዲሞት ሲደረግ ወያኔን የተጠጋ ሆድ አደር ግን እምብርቱ እስኪገለበጥ እየበላና እየጠጣ ተንደላቅቆ ይኖራል፡፡ እንዲህ እንዲኖርም በመዥገሮች የተወረረችው እናት ሀገር በወያኔዎቹ አማካይነት ለአንዱ የእንጀራ እናት ለሌላው ደግሞ የእውነት እናት ሆና ለሆዳም ጥገኞቹ ሁሉንም ነገር እያመቻቸችላቸው ትገኛለች፡፡

ለምሳሌ በወያኔ ማኅበር ያልተደራጀ ዜጋ ሁለት በሁለት ለሆነች የንግድ ቤት ከገቢው ጋር ፈጽሞ የማይመጣጠን እጅግ ከፍተኛ ኪራይና ግብር እንዲከፍል ሲገደድ (ሂድ አትበለው እንዲሄድ ግን አድርገው በሚሉት ፈሊጣቸው) ለሆዳሞቹ ግን ካስፈለገ ካለኪራይና ካለአንዳች ግብር በሕዝብ ገንዘብ እንደፈለጉ ይሆናሉ፡፡ ባንኮች ሳይቀሩ ለነሱ የግል ጥገቶች ናቸው፡፡ የሀገር ስሜት ዛሬ ያልጠፋ ታዲያ መቼ ይጥፋ?

ይህ መሰሉና ሌላው ግፍ ሁሉ አልበቃ ብሎ ነው እንግዲህ የእሳቱ ፖለቲካ በሀገር ደረጃ እየተፋፋመ የሚገኘው፡፡ እንደሰማነው በሐረር ከአንዴም ሁለት ጊዜ ቃጠሎ ተነስቶ በብዙ ሚሊዮን የሚገመት ብርና ሀብትና ንብረት ወድሟል፡፡ ይህ የሆነው በወያኔው ፈቃድና ይሁንታ መሆኑን የምንረዳበት መንገድ ደግሞ እሳቱን ለማጥፋት ጥረት ሲደረግ አስቀድሞ የተዘጋጀው የወያኔ ጦር እሳቱን ከብቦ አላሰቀርብም ማለቱና የእሳት አደጋ ሠራተኞችም እሳቱ የሚፈለገውን ጥፋት ካገባደደ በኋላ ሥራቸውን እንዲሠሩ መፈቀዱ ነው፡፡ ይህ ዓይነቱ ግፍ ከኢትዮጵያ ውጪ የሚደረግ አይመስለኝም፤ እንዲያውም አይደረግም፡፡ ምክንያቱም የሀገር ዜግነቱን የካደና ሀገር እየቸረቸረ የሚሸጥ የሀገር መሪ ከኢትዮጵያ ውጪ በየትም ሥፍራ ይኖራል ብዬ አላምንምና፡፡

የሐረሩ እሳት መንስኤው ወያኔ ሆኖ ዓላማው ደግሞ ቦታውን ለወያኔያዊ ባለሀብቶች ለመስጠትና በእግረ መንገድም ተቀናቃኝ ኢ-ወያኔያዊ ባለሀብቶችን ለማክሰም ነው - ይህን እውነት ለማወቅ ጠንቋይ መቀለብ አያስፈልግም፡፡ በጣም ግልጽ ነው፡፡ መንታ ዓላማ ያነገበ ቃጠሎ ነበር ማለት ነው፡፡ አንደኛውና ዋነኛው በሥርዓቱ የማይፈለጉ ዜጎችን ማደኽት - ሁለተኛው በነሱ ቦታ ደግሞ ለሥርዓቱ ዕድሜ ቀን ከሌት ተንበርክከው ሰይጣንን የሚለምኑ ፍቁራን አባላትንና ደጋፊዎችን ማቋቋም፤ በቃ፡፡ በጨው ደንደስ በርበሬ ተወደስ ይባላል፡፡ በኢትዮጵያ መሬት፣ በኢትዮጵያውያን ሀብትና ንብረት ፀረ-ኢትዮጵያ የሆኑ የመንግሥትን ሞሰብ ገልባጮችና ደጋፊዎቻቸው ይገባበዙበታል፤ ይጠቃቀሙበታል፡፡ እንግዴ ልጅ ሀገር ሻጭ ማዕዱን ሲጫወትበት ልጅ ከበይ ተመልካችነትም ወርዶ የሥቃይ ሰለባ ሆኗል፡፡ እየተራቡ በሀገር መኖርም ክልክል ሆኖ ለሞትና ለስደት መዳረግ ዕጣችን እንዲሆን ተፈርዶብናል፡፡ ይህን ቅሚያና ዘረፋ፣ ይህን የግፎች ሁሉ የበላይ የሆነ ግፍ በእሳት አማካይነት እውን ለማድረግ ደግሞ የኢትዮጵያን መለዮ ለባሽ ይጠቀማሉ -በዓይነቱ ልዩ የሆነ የታሪክ ምፀት ማለት ይህ ነው፡፡ ዋ እኔን! ይህች ቀን ልታልፍ እምቢልታው ሲነፋ እነዚህ ጉግማንጉጎች ምን ይውጣቸው ይሆን?

አዲስ አበባም ውስጥ በትንሹ ሁለት ያህል ቃጠሎዎች በነዚህ ሁለት ቀናት ውስጥ ተከስተዋል፡፡ አንደኛው የብርሃንና ሰላም ማተሚያ ቤት ሲሆን ሌላኛው በአንድ ግለሰብ ቤት የደረሰና የሦስት ሰዎችን ሕይወት የጠየቀ ቃጠሎ ነው፡፡ ያሳዝናል፡፡ ነፍሳቸውን ይማር፡፡ የብርሃንና ሰላም ማተሚያ ቤቱ ግን ያጠያይቃል፡፡ እርግጥ ነው - ቃጠሎው ተፈጥሯዊ ሊሆን ይችላል፡፡ እንደማንኛውም አደጋ ሆን ተብሎ ሳይሆን ድንገት ሊነሳ የመቻሉ ዕድል እንዳለ ሆኖ ከወያኔ ባሕርይ ተነስተን ስንገምት መነሾው ፖለቲካዊ አንድምታም ሊኖረው እንደሚችል ብንጠረጥር “ጠርጣሪዎች(skeptics)” ተብለን ልንታማ አይገባም፡፡ እንዲያውም ስንትና ስንት ጥበቃ የሚደረግለት ትልቅ ድርጅት በቀላሉ ለእሳት ይዳረጋል ብሎ ከማሰብ አለማሰብ ይሻላል ብለን ብንከራከር የሚቻል ይመስለኛል፡፡ ስለሆነም ከድንገቴ አደጋነት ይልቅ የወያኔው ተንኮል እንደሚኖርበት መገመት አይከብድም፡፡ ወያኔ ለምን ብርሃንና ሰላምን ያቃጥላል? ምን ያገኛል? ከመገመት ባለፈ እውነተኛውን ነገር ማወቅ ሊከብድ ይችላል፤ መገመት ደግሞ ለማንም የማይከለከል የሁሉም መብት ነው፡፡

ከሁሉም በፊት ግን አንድ አጠቃላይ እውነት መኖሩን እንመን፡፡ ያም እውነት ወያኔ ቢቻል ቢቻል ኢትዮጵያ እንዳለች ብትቃጠል ወይም እንጦርጦስ ብትወርድ ደስ ይለዋል እንጂ የማይከፋ መሆኑ ነው፡፡ ኢትዮጵያ ስሟ ሲነሳ የሚዘገንናቸውና ጠበል በመጠመቅ ያለ ሰው ላይ እንደተከሰተ ሰይጣን የሚያንዘረዝራቸው እነበረከትንና ሣሞራን የመሳሰሉ መፃጉዕ ዜጎች የሚገኙበት መንግሥታዊ መዋቅር የኢትዮጵያ ታሪክ የሚዘከርበትና አእምሯዊ ቅርስ የሚቀመጥበት ማዕከል ቢቃጠል አይደሰትም ብሎ ማሰብ የዋህነት ይመስለኛል፡፡ በዕንቆቅልሽ ሀገር ውስጥ ልንጠብቅ የማይገባንን ነገር ብንጠብቅ ብልህነት እንጂ ትዝብት ውስጥ ሊያስገባን የሚችል ሞኝነት አይደለም፡፡

በመሆኑም ወያኔ ይህን የእሳት ፖለቲካውን በመጠቀም ዜጎችን ራቁታቸውን ማስቀረቱንና ወደበረንዳ ሕይወት መለወጡን እንዲያቆም፣ የዘመናት ቅርሳችንን እያቃጠለ ታሪክ አልባ ሆነን እንድንቀር ማድረጉን እንዲገታና እስከተቻለ ደግሞ ነፃነታችንን እውን ለማድረግ የምንችልበትን የጋራ ሥልት መቀየስ እንድንችል የጋራ ጥረት እንድናደርግ ጥሪየን አቀርባለሁ፡፡ ሰላም፡፡

ይሄይስ አእምሮ

With new Chinese cyber-tools, Ethiopia more easily spies on its people

Human rights advocates worry that powerful surveillance technology is spreading in Africa, where many countries are becoming more authoritarian.

Ethiopia’s government is deploying cutting-edge cyber and phone surveillance technologies from China and other nations to conduct widespread spying aimed at suppressing political dissent, according to a new report.

Using modern technology from Chinese telecom giant ZTE, Ethiopia’s state telecom company has spent the last five years meshing that gear with additional spy software from European suppliers to create government surveillance tools spanning social media, phone, and Internet communications, says the report by New-York based Human Rights Watch. 

With that powerful system now in place, the ruling Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) coalition is using its new capacities to ferret out and harass its political opponents, according to the report titled “They Know Everything We Do: Telecom and Internet Surveillance in Ethiopia.”

Ethiopia's authoritarian regime has long watched its people. But the new technology allows it to far more easily spy on citizens, business people, politicians, journalists, and others – including, as it appears, the vast network of Ethiopians living abroad. 

In the past year, a swath of East African nations from Ethiopia to Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania have been under criticism for tougher policies on free expression and for cracking down on multifarious civil society and NGO groups. Human rights monitors are concerned that new cheap and powerful spyware is already starting to be acquired and used by more African governments. 

Internet usage in Ethiopia is still in its infancy with less than 1.5 percent of Ethiopians connected to the Internet and fewer than 27,000 broadband subscribers countrywide.

By contrast, neighboring Kenya has close to 40 percent access, the report notes. Only about a quarter of Ethiopia’s population has cell phones compared to 72 percent in Kenya.

Yet the chilling effect of surveillance on free speech is most significant in Ethiopia, an essentially one-party state where many now live in fear of answering any phone call from overseas – or expressing their true feelings on the phone. Many worry they will be hauled in to a police station and accused of affiliation with banned groups, according to the HRW report, which was based on 100 interviews with Ethiopians.

“One day they arrested me and they showed me everything. They showed me a list of all my phone calls and they played a conversation I had with my brother,” a former member of an Oromo opposition party, who is now a refugee in Kenya, told interviewers in May 2013.

“They arrested me because we talked about politics on the phone. It was the first phone I ever owned, and I thought I could finally talk freely,” the man said.

Governments around the world engage in surveillance, but in most countries judicial and legislative mechanisms are in place to protect privacy and other rights, the report found. Yet in Ethiopia “these mechanisms are largely absent,” HRW said.

Most of the technologies used to monitor telecom activity in Ethiopia have been provided since 2003 by ZTE, the report says. The company did not respond to HRW inquiries about steps it might be taking to address and prevent Ethiopian human rights abuses linked to unlawful mobile surveillance.

“Some of these Chinese and other companies have been complicit in the worst human rights abuses in Iran and Syria by providing these regimes with all too often hidden [cyber-surveillance] tools of oppression,” says Toby Dershowitz, vice president at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a Washington research institute, in an e-mail interview.

At the same time, the report identifies some European companies as having supplied Ethiopia with advanced cyber surveillance technology used to target Ethiopians at home and abroad.

Indeed, Ethiopia appears to have acquired FinFisher surveillance software from the United Kingdom and German-based Gamma International – as well as Italy-based Hacking Team’s Remote Control System.

Such tools provide security and intelligence agencies with access to files, information, and activity on the infected target’s computer. They can log keystrokes, passwords, and turn on a webcam or microphone, essentially converting a personal computer into a microphone or other monitoring device.

Yet Ethiopia is just one among many nations deploying such technology, says Eva Galperin, a global policy analyst at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a digital rights organization in San Francisco.

“It’s important to understand that Hacking Team and FinFisher are not the only players in this game,” Ms. Galperin says. “That’s just the tip of the iceberg.”

John Bumgarner, a former intelligence officer and cyber conflict expert, agrees. He says that US companies are part of the pattern, too.

“This report points a finger at the Chinese companies selling this hardware,” Mr. Bumgarner says. “But all they’re really doing is taking a page from the playbook of US companies that sell similar kinds of software.”

Powerful spyware is proliferating and is “virtually unregulated at the global level and there are insufficient national controls or limits on their export,” Human Rights Watch said. Rights groups last year filed a complaint at the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development alleging such technologies have been deployed to target activists in Bahrain, for instance.

Researchers at Citizen Lab, a University of Toronto-based cyber research group, say they have identified FinFisher command and control servers in over 30 countries and have analyzed malware samples that appear to target users in places like Vietnam and Malaysia. Gamma has stated that it only sells its software to select countries for law enforcement purposes.

Human Rights Watch letters to the Addis Ababa government received no response. In response to Citizen Lab research and inquiry about the Ethiopian government’s use of FinSpy, an Ethiopian government spokesperson said in a statement to media, “I cannot tell you what type of instruments we’re going to use or not. I’ve no idea, and even if I did, I wouldn’t talk to you about it.”

Hacking Team, in public statements, says that it only sells its software to government law enforcement or intelligence agencies, not individuals or businesses. Governments can even monitor the use of the software via an “audit trail,” allowing government officials to monitor how employees are using the software so as to identify any “abuse” of the technology.

Yet Ethiopians living in the UK, United States, Norway, and Switzerland are among those known to have been infected with spyware. Lawsuits have been filed in the US and UK alleging illegal wiretapping, the report says.

Just last month, a Washington man with links to Ethiopia’s opposition party sued the Ethiopian government in US federal court, claiming government agents deployed espionage software to hack his personal computer and spy for months on his private communications.

The suit claims it found on his computer some 2,000 files linked to spyware called FinSpy, as well as signs his Skype calls, web-browsing history, and e-mails had been spied on in violation of US law.

“The Ethiopian government is using control of its telecom system as a tool to silence dissenting voices,” said Arvind Ganesan, business and human rights director at Human Rights Watch. “The foreign firms that are providing products and services that facilitate Ethiopia’s illegal surveillance are risking complicity in rights abuses.”

The Internet, Twitter, Facebook and other social media services figured prominently in the uprisings in Arab countries from Tunisia to Libya, and Egypt to Syria. But autocratic regimes are increasingly using them not to empower citizens, but instead build “electronic curtains” to repress their own populations, the report said.

In Syria, the government has waged a cyber battle against its own citizens and media beyond its borders, utilizing advanced cyber attack and surveillance techniques to identify and sometimes torture or kill dissidents.

The surveillance technologies “are not only used to stifle debate but to surveil, hunt down and even torture those whose views differ from these governments,” Ms. Dershowitz writes. “Those who don’t like this preview won’t like the movie to come if these companies and countries are not held accountable.”

By Mark Clayton, Staff writer 

Transparency: a scarce commodity in Ethiopia

Transparency: a scarce commodity in Ethiopia

When conspiracy to commit atrocities and corruption find safe heaven people suffer in poverty and lack of freedom and, nations become playgrounds of tyrannies and associates. When capable people are indifference not to establish the institutions necessary to do something about it, crimes goes unpunished and criminals rule.

Wishing freedom and democracy without transparent institutions to punish the decadent operatives serving the ruling tyranny is like pouring water in a bucket full of holes; now you see it now you don’t.

It is about time to realize the few existing institution need our support to build their capacity and many more transparent advocacy institutions in every sector are needed to punish the regime’s operatives and challenge the international community that sustains it.  Those that have the knowledge and the leadership skills to establish transparent institutions to challenge tyranny and all of us on behalf of the people are the true leaders we can all be proud.

When the Extractive Industry Transparency Initiatives (EITI) was established 2003 it was to institute industry standard for ‘accountable management of revenues from natural resources’ so that the money earned from extracting minerals can be put  for public good than go into the pockets of corrupt government officials and operatives.

EITI Chairperson Clair Short and EEITI Chair and Ethiopian Ministry of Mine Sinknesh Ejigu EITI rejection of the Ethiopian regime’s membership application in 2010 was precisely because the regime isn’t remotely close to fulfilling the basic transparency requirements like everything it does in the free press, justice, the economy, the integrity of the nation and her people.

The ruling party that made career out of making economic of extractions and extortion a policy is not only corrupt to bone to qualify as a member of EITI but, it doesn’t have the mandate or the legitimacy to extract public resources.

The problems have always been the timid international community’s failure to standup to the regimes — choosing to accommodate them instead of chastises them to surrender power.

But, misery always find companion somewhere. When the regime was rejected in the first round in 2010 it reapplied in October of 2013– after it setup the bogus Ethiopian Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EEITI) in what now  appears with the help of the EITI’s Chairperson Clare Short that supposedly hired to independently evaluate the regime. The Chairperson of the newly formed Ethiopian Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative (EEITI) is none other than the regime’s Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia Mistier of Mine Sinknesh Ejigu, according to the regime’s application to EITI.

This time around, EITI’s Board Chair, Clair Short decided to ignore her mandate to campaign on behalf of the regime with an open letter to Ali Idrissa, Faith Nwadishi and Jean-Claude Katende –the International EITI’s Board members and associates of Publish What You Pay (PWYP),  ‘a global network of civil society organizations united in their call for an open and accountable extractive sector’. Her sorry argument of officially asking ‘the fox to guard the chickens’ is unprecedented in the free world.

Professor Al Mariam’s article titled Mining Corruption in Ethiopia: A Reply to Clare Short eloquently described EITI’s Chairperson’s lack of transparency and ethics. It should be a lesson for all foreign apologists of the regime that mingles with depots behind closed doors.

Short, should have known better than behaving like paid lobbyist of the depot she is delegated to evaluate. Instead, she blamed the Diaspora and international civil societies on behalf of an outdated and corrupt ethnic tyranny to have open season in extracting minerals. Reading the embarrassing Ethiopian regime’s application alone should have been enough for her to stay away as far as the regime.

The respond to her open letter is going to be the beginning-and-end of her career from the very institution that expects transparency. Her open letter appears there is a force that enticed her to publicly self-incriminate herself defending a serial abuser of human rights and

economics of extortion. Some of Africa Humanitarian Action actors (left to right), Co-Chairman Al Amoudi Trustee Clair Short and Constantinos Berhe Tesfu and Dr. Dawit Zewde (President and Founder of AHA)

What motivated EITI Chair to go beyond the call of duty is yet to be determined. But, her association as a trustee  of an outfit called African Humanitarian Action  based in Ethiopia may have something to do with it. Among the trustee of AHA is the Co-Chairman Sheikh Mohammed Al Amoudi, an Ethiopian-born Saudi investor and a stanch supporter of the ruling regime that have multiple mining interests among many other investments in Ethiopia.  How Al Amoudi ended up Co-chairing a ‘humanitarian’ organization and EITI’s Chairperson happened to end up the trustee of the same organization is as mysteries as her open letter campaign on behalf of the rogue  regime.

African Humanitarian Action (AHA)  itself is a peculiar organization as many operating in Ethiopia. Founded and led by mysterious man by the name of Dr. Dawit Zewde (the President) since 1995. The outfit claims to engage with multiple humanitarian activities from capacity building and HIV prevention all the way to relief and public advocacy. But, according to its published budget on Ethiopia; a total of 8.3 million dollar was spent from 1995-2012–an average of half a million dollars per year in its 17 years existence. There is no information what exactly was done with less than half-a-million dollars budget that required the time and effort of all the characters involved, including the billionaire-investor Sheikh Al Amoudi and EITI’s Chairperson Short among many.  If we recall, Al Amoudi budgeted more money to destroy the Ethiopian Sport Federation in North America (ESFNA) than the Ethiopian budget of AHA he co-chair. 

Another interesting character is one of the dozen trustees of African Humanitarian Action by the name Dr Constantinos Berhe Tesfu, the Founder and Board Chairman of Lem Ethiopia’. Established in 1992, LE claims to be ‘a citizen’s movement on environment & sustainable development, according to its websites. It also prides to have the former President, Girma W/Ghiorgis as Co-founder and on the Board of the organization. Two websites are found under Lem Ethiopia registered by Mogues Worku and administered by Yemisraknesh Solomon, according to Network Solution  and http://www.lemethiopia.org.et  with unidentified local server. Both websites have pretty much the same content except one have Report  and Activity   section.  Established 22 years ago Lem Ethiopia doesn’t revile its funding sources but, only began reporting its expenditure starting in 2001 and ending 2007, according to one of the website.

Constantinos Berhe Tesfu, PhD is also involved in the Centre for Human Environment and Development and also referred as Consultant for European Union, Directorate for Development, according to A Pilot Study on NGOs — Community-Based and Civil Society Organizations in Ethiopia he himself conducted.

Transparency a scarce commodity in the ruling regime of Ethiopia

The regime and its operatives literally took the nation as their private property to do whatever they feel like it. Government agencies and public enterprises are used and abused for economic benefit of the ruling party and associates.  The court system and the security and military are the tools of the ruling party to undermine and marginalize Ethiopians to sustain its rule and corruption. Front ‘civil societies’ undermine independent institutions and are used as tools to launder foreign aid with bogus project to sustain the regime.

When that is not enough, international organizations are compromised by rogue individuals like it is the case with EITI’s Board Chairperson to campaign on behalf of the regime based on an application best described by Prof Al Mariam as ‘the biggest package of padded fluff’.

It illustrates the international community complicity and Ethiopians failure to establish the necessary transparency institutions to go after the corrupt individuals and institutions in-and-out of the country.  Instead, we react to events with barrage of articles and protests.  Quite frankly, our failure left the field wide open for the regime’s operatives and others to get away with ‘murder’.

For instance, the responsible Minster and Ministry for ‘the biggest package of padded fluff’application is Sinknesh Ejigu, the Ethiopian Federal Democratic Republic Minster of Mine and the Chairperson of EEITI  with a contact #  2 5 1 -1 1 6 4 6 3 3 5 7  and Email –sinkmme@yahoo.com,  according to the application submitted to EITI. The Minster’s unverifiable Bio is also posted on Ethiopian Women Unleashed’s website with disclaimer of no responsibility to the reliability of the information given by the Minster.

For the most part, the lack of Ethiopian’s watchdog groups in every sector allowed her to do anything she feel like it like many of the regime’s operatives do in every sector with impunity; leaving Ethiopians to relay on international organizations to expose corruption, atrocities, lack of freedom and democracy. The front institutions TPLF created on the graves of independent civil society at home seem to be the only ones running the show.

No one knows why the Minster conspires to conceal important information like the involvement of the ruling party affiliated extractive industries and to present impotent organizations under the ruling party’s leash as civil society on the application to EITI.  Such self-incriminating act is clear indication the impunity of the regime’s officials and operatives for luck of institutions that purse them to face justice in the appropriate international jurisdictions.

Looking at the official website of the Ministry further illustrates whether she is running a public Ministry or a front lookalike to hide the activities of the ruling party. First, Minster Sinknesh Ejigu is nowhere to be found on the official website of the government Ministry she is in charge. Nor, after 23 years of rule, there is anything worthy of information on the news and event section except what is described as ‘final reconciliation report’ for EITI and ‘Citizen Charter’, whatever it means for a government Ministry. The contact section of the website lists the different departments’ personnel and phone numbers with no contact e-mails. In fact, the only e-mail regarding the Ministry is the personal e-mail of Minster Sinknesh provided on the official application to EITI.  What kind of Minster provides a personal e-mail on an official application for membership of an international organization alone shows the out of control regime and its officials and the lack of institutions to do something about it.

Pasted on the front page of the website are what the application refers as “the two year plan and the Memorandum of understanding among multi-stakeholder group was designed and signed, and up loaded on the web site of the Ministry, including public statement and Civil Society calling document”.  It appears the Ministry is only concerned about EITI than the public it suppose to serve.

Some of the content of the Application itself tells more story of a desperate regime wanting membership badly for the obvious reason. For example, trying to impress EITI the regime led by Minster Sinknesh rounded up civil society lookalikes representing what the application refers as ‘multi-stakeholder’.  It says; ‘Establishing Multi-stakeholder group to oversee the implementation of EITI

1.4.1 The government through the delegated government organ (Ministry of Mines) has established multi-stakeholder working group or National steering committee (NSC) comprising an appropriate private and/or state owned company, civil society and Government organ or ministries.

1.4.2 The National steering Committee (NSC) was represented from each constituency equally through clear and open discussion made among each group during the launching of EEITI.

1.4.3 Ethiopian National Steering Committee has enacted and signed a memorandum of understanding that enabled them to operate freely without hold back, restraint or coercion including by liaising with their constituency groups”.

Among the stakeholders are Transparency Ethiopia, the sister Chapter of the renowned corruption fighter Transparency International (TI) represented by Eyasu Yimer (left), the Executive Director  and the Chairman of the Board, Dr Berhanu Asefa and  The Ethiopian National Journalist Union represented by Anteneh Abraham Babanto, the President (right) and  the officers of ENJU. The union is described as ‘government-controlled’ by the Committee to Protect Journalists. 

                   

Eyasu Yimer of TE is under the governance and accountability  of the parent organization Transparency International (TI). Since its establishment there is noting it accomplished except survey on corruption, round table discussion and ‘educating’ the public about corruption on radio controlled by the regime.

Eyasu’s  LinkedIn profile reviles he is a capable manger along Chairman of the Board Dr Berhanu Asefa and the rest of officers.  But yet, no investigation or report of the ruling regime’s owned and operated companies and associates’ corruption in all sectors of the economy are found on the official website since its formation.   It lacks any resemblance of a Transparency International’s Chapter that worth to carry the name of its parent organization.

Likewise, Anteneh Abraham Babanto of ENJA’s Face book profile claims ‘he works for International Federation of Journalist and is a student in Addis Ababa University’. There is no record of him working IFJ on the official website of IFG but, his organization is listed as Member.

In addition, the three other organizations that were presented as representatives of civil society on the government’s application are; Ethiopian Youth Federation founded in 2009 according to the British Council, Ethiopian Federation of National Associations of People with Disabilities, and  Consortium of Christian Relief and Development Association.  None of the organization has background on the extractive industry in the country and has no independent information except what the regime tells them. Therefore, the leaders should be responsible for conspiring with the regime to be used as a front. Notifying them to their responsibility and the consequences of conspiring with the regime against the interest of the people of Ethiopia is appropriate.

The application goes on to describe’ the objective of implementing the requirement’ for membership

“Objective of Implementing EITI in Ethiopia       

• To establish a system through which companies and government disclose the payments and revenues generated from the extractive sector in Ethiopia

• To carry out reconciliation and/audit of the disclosed statement of companies and government by independent administrator

• To develop a mechanism through which the citizens of Ethiopia access all the information regarding the extractive industry

• To establish a forum under which all the concerned parties; the government, the civil society and extractive companies work together for the development of the mineral industry of the country and bring sustainable development,

• To establish transparency and accountability in the management of mineral resources including oil and gas and to foresee the minerals development of Ethiopia play a major role on the socio economic development of the country for the benefit of Ethiopians.”

None of the above ever had been the objective of the regime in anything it does since it came

to power. But, TPLF operatives’ appetite to gable up public resources through their corrupt companies would say and do anything to get access to international finance and market.

The Ministry of Mine is the tip of the iceberg of an out-of-control regime in every branches of the government.

The million dollar question for Ethiopians is; where are the institutions to follow up on individuals, groups businesses and government ministries and agencies involved in corruption and atrocities to make them face justice and the public they have been abusing for over two decades.

What Ethiopians can do to bring about transparency-democracy?

In case of EITI Chairman outrageous behavior,  contacting responsible stakeholders Civil Societies, Institutional Investors and Partner Organization of  EITI  to investigate Short and demand she disclose all her associations with the regime and associated interest groups is the duty of every Ethiopian to speed up the demise of the accomplice of tyranny.

In cases of the out of control officials, associates and operatives of the ruling regime, Ethiopian institutions or individuals must compile and document who-is-who starting from the top 100 brass of the current regime (individuals, family members, assets and work location and where about) in clear details and sent out to all concerned; opposition parties, legitimate media and civil societies and concerned international organizations.

Reactive actions aside, the ultimate solution to bring about accountability and democratic rule is to build the capacity of the existing or establishing new institutions in every sector to proactively go after the regime’s outlaws and anyone involved in crimes against the people.

The role of Ethiopian Intelligencia and advocacy group and the Media

For the most part, the Ethiopian Intelligencia, particularly the Diasporas in the free world failed to establish the necessary independent watchdog institutions in every sector to protect the public from the ruling regime’s atrocities and corruption and the transgressions of other interest groups. They, for the most part left the responsibility for a few institutions and international organizations-leaving the field wide open for foreigners and lobbyist of the regime and apologist to battle it out on the expenses of the people of Ethiopia.

The handful of advocacy groups that show extraordinary effort to raise the voice of Ethiopians often are overwhelmed to address the ruling regime’s massive human right violation,  atrocities and corruption. For instance, the Solidarity Movement for New Ethiopia led by the Executive Director Obang Metho persistent effort to engage international civil society on human right issues is good example that should be supported and replicated in every other sector around the world. Advocating for Media freedom, human development promotion, democratic institution building, corruption fighting and economic justice are some of the issues that are awaiting institutional advocacy.

Yet, many of the Intelligencia write effectively — raising most of the burning issues on paper but failed short of establishing the necessary institutions to engage civil societies, concerned governmental, international and Media organizations to bring about transparency and confront their peers that are reduced as instrument of the ruling tyranny.

The role of independent Media in particular is crucial to follow up on the ruling tyranny and associates as well as others that violet the public trust. The free press can also play an important role in demanding transparency from existing institutions and challenging the Intelligencia to establish the necessary institutions that are missing.

The Ethiopian Satellite Television-Radio (ESAT) became a shining light preciously because it demands transparency from the ruling regime and all others. It is also the ideal public forum to engage the Intelligencia to establish the necessary institutions in every sector.

As the Chairperson of Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative fiasco reviled how far the ruling regime and its associate will go to corrupt international organizations, Ethiopian advocacy groups in Diaspora must follow-up on the regime’s operatives and take the appropriate actions.

When conspiracy to commit atrocities and corruption find safe heaven people suffer in poverty and lack of freedom and, nations become playgrounds of tyrannies and associates. When capable people are indifference not to establish the institutions necessary to do something about it, crimes goes unpunished and criminals rule.

Wishing freedom and democracy without the institutions to punish the decadent operatives serving the ruling ethnic tyranny is like pouring water in a bucket full of holes; now you see it now you don’t.

It is about time to realize the few existing institution need our support to build capacity and many more transparent advocacy institutions in every sector are needed to punish the regime’s operatives and challenge the international community that sustains it.  Those that have the knowelage and the leadership skills to establish transparent institutions to challenge tyranny and all of us on behalfof the people are the true leaders of Ethiopia we can all be proud.

by Teshome Debalke