By Allelign Sisay
I recall one of your interviews about the Judgment of Solomon (1 Kings 3:16-28). In it, you urged Ethiopians to act in the spirit of the wise king and prevent Fano from being divided into warring factions.
The biblical story is familiar: Two women claimed to be the same child’s mother. Without the tools of modern DNA, the wise King Solomon devised a test. He ordered the baby split in two, giving each woman half. The true mother, unwilling to see her child harmed, relinquished her claim, choosing the baby’s life over ownership and pride. Through the selfless act of the genuine mother, Solomon saw the truth. His wisdom brought clarity, peace, and justice in a moment of bitter division.
Today, the struggle for Amhara’s future is no less crucial. And you, Eskinder, stand at the heart of it. Your commitment to the Amhara’s liberation is unquestionable. No one can challenge the depth of your sacrifice. You left a comfortable life abroad, abandoning personal safety, family, and stability. You endured imprisonment, humiliation, and torture in the name of justice for Ethiopians. You have carried burdens most would never dare to bear. Your struggle has become a symbol of resilience.
But your recent acts have raised concerns. Your engagement with international intermediaries without the knowledge and agreement of other Fano fighters has cast shadows of doubt about trust, unity, and victory within the Fano movement. Whether these fears are real or exaggerated, they are causing fractures and seeds of mistrust among Fano leaders, diaspora supporters, and allies. Many in the diaspora, including me, once eager to finance and advocate for the cause, now hesitate. The excuse: “I won’t support Fano until they come together.”
Eskinder, the stakes are too high for division among Fano leaders. Fano’s unity is the only path to victory. The burden of leadership is not about personal ambition, but about making the right decision at the right time—even when it is the most challenging choice.
Your role in this struggle carries unique weight due to your education, international exposure, and unwavering commitment. You have brought the movement this far, but now you must ask yourself: Will I follow Solomon’s example and ensure Fano’s unity and survival, even if it means stepping back?
Like the true mother in King Solomon’s judgment, who sacrificed her claim to save her child, will you set aside personal leadership ambitions to preserve Fano’s unity and ensure victory?
You have the power to bring Fano together. Start a virtual conference with all of Fano’s leaders. Facilitating this process while excluding yourself from nomination will show true selflessness.
Create a space where you restore trust and unity, and let Fano members choose a leader by consensus. Your action could mend fractures, restore the diaspora’s confidence, and cement your legacy as a unifier. Step back from contention. Let Fano unite and select its leaders. Serve in a role where Fano might assign you—writing, advocacy, diplomacy, and strategy—and use your fullest potential.
Leadership is not about being the face of a movement but ensuring the struggle (Fano) thrives. History has shown that authentic leadership is often from behind. Dick Cheney, from the vice presidency, shaped U.S. policy while Bush stood at the forefront. Fitawrari Habte Giyorgis Dinagde (Aba Mela) anchored Emperor Menelik, later guiding Queen Zewditu and Emperor Haile Selassie. Aklilu Habte-Wold served in the shadows before rising to prime minister. Even Meles Zenawi and Mengistu Hailemariam were not the initial faces of their movements.
You don’t need to be on the rural front lines to lead. Lenin led the Bolshevik Revolution from exile. Mandela shattered apartheid from a prison cell. As Secretary of State, Henry Kissinger overshadowed Nixon, wielding diplomacy as his greatest weapon. You, too, can leave an indelible mark, whether by forging alliances with figures like Marco Rubio, the newly appointed U.S. Secretary of State, or ensuring Fano’s struggle gains international legitimacy and support.
If you fear that the movement cannot survive without your direct leadership, remember that there are other leaders of equal caliber like you. Ethiopia has seen warriors like Belay Zeleke, Negus Michael, Ras Mekonnen, Amoraw Wubneh, and Meysaw Kassa rise to their time. Now, new leaders are emerging from the Amhara region, growing like mushrooms after the rain.
So I ask you: Why hold on to a position that risks dividing Fano unity, where unity for victory is the burning issue of the time? Why not act like the real mother and King Solomon and ensure the baby—Fano—remains whole?
The choice is yours, Eskinder. Your legacy and the future of the Amhara struggle rest on the wisdom you choose to embody in this critical hour.
Editor’s note : Views in the article do not necessarily reflect the views of borkena.com
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Zip it. Let the Fano leaders on the ground do their job. AFPO is doing its job and the leadership is far more equipped in their thinking, forethought, and strategy than you and me here in the Diaspora.
AFPO is handling its responsibilities with the muzzle and with diplomacy. What is the diaspora to do except write useless articles like this which won’t amount to anything but recyclable paper.
1) There are those who make things happen.
2) There are those who say what happened.
3) there are those who watch it happen.
So sit down zip it and have some popcorn. Leave the real work to those who are able to do it.
You are the 2nd and third type.
Zip it. Let the Fano leaders on the ground do their job. AFPO is doing its job and the leadership is far more equipped in their thinking, forethought, and strategy than you and me here in the Diaspora.
AFPO is handling its responsibilities with the muzzle and with diplomacy. What is the diaspora to do except write useless articles like this which won’t amount to anything but recyclable paper.
1) There are those who make things happen.
2) There are those who say what happened.
3) there are those who watch it happen.
So sit down zip it and have some popcorn. Leave the real work to those who are able to do it.
You are the 2nd and third type.
This is a malicious proposal at its core. It seeks to hand over the genuine FANO struggle, led by Eskinder Nega and AFPO, to a BEADEN-sponsored and controlled FANO faction. Instead of advising the vulgar village faction, which spreads hate and lies day and night using BEADEN-funded networks and a keyboard army, this individual is proposing that the leadership of the genuine FANO organization be dismantled and controlled by an unreliable, incapable, and self-serving group of villagers.
The farsighted and genuine opinion of the writer of this article is practical. First of all, Fanao was strong and existed even before Esiknder joined it. Eskinder traveled to Gonder, Gojam, WollO, and so on. Initially, everyone thought he went there to motivate the fighters and Amhara people. In fact, he went there with the objective of harnessing support and becoming the leader. Eskindir brought division. His motive is known, and nobody wants him except small factions in Showa. He tarnished his legacy.
It’s not only a grave mistake but savagely absurd to assume that Eskinder is an obstacle for Fano’s unity. As this writer believes, if one man could inflict such harm on the unity of Amhara Fano, then, either Eskinder a superman who is exceptionally vital for the cause, and must lead the resistance effort, or fanos are a bunch of numbskulls who do not even know the best person in the leadership circle. I believe none of these choices are right. Eskinder is not the problem. It’s far deeper than that. Just ask a simple question. Why couldn’t the fano commands of the four regions (outside the AFPO) come together and unite?
A fano leader named Asress Mare said unashamedly in an interview that he consistently calls senior leaders who constitute the AFPO to leave and join the disunified group. Imagine if Eskinder admits to having engaged in such acts of mischief, the entire social media peacocks and nightingales would join force and start a whistle revolution.
Lastly, I like to remind the writer that Eskinder cannot stepp down or leave his post without the consent of the executive committee. This is not a football team whose coach can be removed at will of the supporters. As for the Solomon Story, it doesn’t have a place in modern day power struggle. By the way if the real mother knew that the fake one could kill the child, she wouldn’t give up without a fight, would she?