By Taye Assaminew
On 18.12.2024, the ruling party in Ethiopia, the so-called Prosperity Party (PP), made its last effort to galvanize support in the Amhara region by forcing the people to come out for a demonstration in support of Abiy Ahmed’s leadership. The result was not what the PP and Abiy had hoped to see; instead, almost all the demonstrations across the Amhara region showed that the people had rejected his leadership and voiced their discontent with his handling of the region. Almost all demonstrations rejected Abiy at the rally the party arranged for its support. In many places, the people displayed placards that rejected his leadership, and in some locations, they tore down posters with his image. Of course, those who make propaganda have taken pictures that show support for the government, but these pictures are designed in such a way that paid cadres disguise themselves as laypeople, and those pictures were supposed to be used on social media to deceive others into thinking there was support among the people on the ground. Others were forced to come out to demonstrate since they are in the safety net program, and if they do not show up, they were told that the support would be interrupted. The fact of the matter is that the people have rejected Abiy and his immature and fake party, PP. One journalist summarized the result of these government-initiated demonstrations as, “in the fest prepared by the government, the rebels, Fano, shined across the region.” Even Jawar Mohammed, the main political figure from Oromia region has said a few days ago that Abiy has lost control of the region. What should Abiy Ahmed do after such complete rejection by the people in the region?
First and foremost, Abiy should take out the Army out from the Amhara Region
The main failure of Abiy and his enablers in the past year and a half was that they decided to send the army to the vast region to subdue the people by force. The claim was to disarm the people, but the past 16 months show that Abiy not only used tanks and heavy artillery but also used drones at an alarming rate over civilians across the region. People who have access to satellite data might expose him at any time. Of course, the international community is either willfully blinded or conspiring with him, appearing indifferent while he commits this historical crime against the people in the region. Therefore, the solution to this problem is for Abiy to back off. He should withdraw soldiers from the Amhara region if he wants to be part of the solution in the country. But he is stubborn. He only adores the power he craft fully took from others. Ruling the region using military command posts for a long period of time is a recipe for more disaster for the region and for the whole country. Such kind of ruling is not working. The people were shouting across the different places in the region for the army to leave the region. That is the best solution. As he took out the army from Tigray, he should take out the army out of the Amhara region. The other option he is left with is to continue to fight with Fano forces who have controlled more than 70% of the region.
Next, Abiy should acknowledge his leadership failure and leave his post.
By removing himself from central power, he can pave the way for national dialogue and reconciliation before the country heads into full ethnic conflict. In fact, he is a Nobel Peace Prize winner. That could have been enough to secure a role in this world. But Abiy is not satisfied with that. He wants more power. He wants a legacy. That is why he is obsessed with making palaces and landmarks that will bear his name. This priority in life has made him unfit to lead a nation of 125 million people. Like Assad, who was seated only in Damascus, Abiy is seated in Addis Ababa, and that is the only place his administration has meaningful control. Before he is pushed by the Fano forces from the Amhara region or the rebels from the Oromia region, including Kero, who are mainly obedient to Jawar Mohammed rather than Abiy or his clique. In short, it is a matter of time before Abiy experiences Bashar Al Assad’s fate by force. However, Abiy wants to be President of the country by changing the country’s constitution. This is the problem the country is facing. A power seeking maniac is at the helm of the country who has zero interest in the wellbeing of the whole country.
International order and its reluctance to push Abiy Out.
Ethiopia is a large country. Its stability in the Horn of Africa is vital for the international order. Western nations should be aware of the circumstances on the ground in Ethiopia. They should not be slow, as was the case in Rwanda in 1994. Abiy and his clique, who assume power, are nervous, and they are cooking up ethnic bloodshed behind closed doors. They are trying to incite conflict between the two largest ethnic groups in the country. If this happens, all of Eastern Africa and beyond will be affected. The crisis will also reach the Western nations in many ways. It is time to act. It is time to find a sustainable solution that includes everyone in the country.
Editor’s note : Views in the article do not necessarily reflect the views of borkena.com
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