You have no idea how long I waited to write that. Well things change and today I can say with certainty that I can go to Asmara with love. It wasn’t long ago I looked at Ghana for inspiration. I was filled with hope when I witnessed the peaceful transition repeated in the land of Nkrumah. Tunisia was in my mind when I wrote about Mohamed Bouazia a 26-year-old unemployed college graduate that set himself on fire tired of being bullied by the Ben Ali regime. He started the prairie fire that swept the Middle East. Our own Yenesew Gebre showed his defiance when he immolated himself to inspire his countrymen to rise up. He did not die in vain. We have sacrificed plenty of beautiful Ethiopians.
The glorious spring we are celebrating today is the result of years of struggle by heroes known to us and some that will stay faceless and nameless. The new Prime Minister is the product of all those Ethiopians that fought relentlessly to never bow down to injustice. They might not have articulated what they want but they knew slavery was not an option.
We are happy PM Abiy is very good at articulating our wants and wishes. That is what a leader is all about – serving the base and by all accounts we are his vocal base. Dr. Abiy’s visit to Asmara is historic by all standards. The new leader has broken many taboos and this is just another instance of his shock and awe method. Well he has left some of us speechless.
Peace between Ethiopia and Eritrea is not a simple matter. The conflict between the two siblings was a long drawn war fought in phases. The first lasted from 1960 to 1991. It flared up again from 1998 to 2000. The first phase can be called a war of attrition. It affected more Eritreans than Ethiopians since their land was the battleground. What was unique for this period was that ordinary people were spared. As usual despite what is going on in the upper echelons of society Ethiopians and Eritreans went along their business in the usual manner. Eritreans resided in every part of Ethiopia, intermarried and worshiped together. The hate was not allowed to disrupt everyday life.
The second conflict took an ugly turn. The Woyane regime brought their political conflict to the village level that affected ordinary people. They used ethnic origin to define the person. Shamelessly they robbed Ethiopians of Eritrean origin of all their possession and deported them to a land they have never set foot. They left a dirty stain on our history that will take long to wash off. While ordinary Ethiopians were hiding, protecting their Eritrean neighbors, cousins and family members Woyane was looting and robbing including the cloth on their back.
We are used to others finding refugee and a second home in Ethiopia but Woyane’s rude behavior demeaned our very existence. Our country has always been a welcome haven to all that were fleeing persecution. It is written that disciples of Jesus brought section of the cross he was crucified on to Gishen Mariam (ግ ሽ ን ማ ር ያ ም ) for safekeeping. Prophet Muhammad’s (Peace be upon him) early followers fled to Ethiopia for safety and today it is referred to as the First Hegira. In our lifetime our schools and university was a welcome place for Sudanese, South Africans and others that were displaced by Europeans. Jews and Armenians found a welcome mat in our precious land.
Needless to say TPLF Woyane stood it all upside down. Ethiopia withdrew her stretched hands under Woyane. Let alone help outsiders our new masters came up with the ugly idea of Kilil or Bantustan and built walls inside our land to keep us away from each other. The Oromo, the Amhara, the Sidama, the Afar etc. were all told to go back to their village with stamped ethnic based Id card. Instead of Nation, Kilil defined the citizen.
It was all downhill from then on. It will take days to recount the many ways Woyane tried to stay in power no matter the cost. The Eritreans were one of the causality of Woyane madness. They paid and are still paying a heavy price. Ordinary Ethiopians paid a price too. They were sacrificed to carry out a policy that did not have a chance to succeed. No matter how strong one is it would not match the will and determination of those that want to be free.
We give credit to PM Abiy for listening to the wishes of his people and choosing love over conflict. It is confirmation of our long held belief that solid relationship based on mutual respect to be the only way forward to bring peace and prosperity to our corner. The wonderful gesture of traveling to Asmara by the young PM has changed the power dynamics of the neighborhood. Its effect will be felt not only in the Horn but also in all capitals of the world.
The coming to peace between one hundred million Ethiopians with their vast virgin resources and Eritrea that is six million strong with resourceful people and miles of coastline is a blessing to the two ancient people. Peace will give us a chance to put our mental and financial resources to good use that will elevate the quality of life of our people. The millions of dollars invested in high tech weapons produced to kill, the thousands of troops wasting their life waiting for war has been a drain and cause of all our problems. Money that could have been used to open schools, build clinics or dig for water has foolishly been wasted.
Our peace dividend is not just about money. How about our mental state. Is there money enough to pay for the peace and happiness we are feeling today? Since the demise of Woyane the mood among our people has changed markedly. Where I live what is going to kill me today is too much love if that is possible. There is no more of that side look, angry exchange or silence out of fear that used to permeate our society. Woyane cultivated our evil side and we got tired of resisting thus we choose to stay silent and hide as much as possible.
Not today. We are slowly waking up from our nightmare. The new guy is not solidly in charge yet. The Woyane time bomb can strike anytime and send us back to square one. The original Woyanes of the infamous TPLF have retreated to their home base. I say let them stew in their own juice. We should give them time to have their conversation with the people of Tigrai. The atrocity committed when they were in charge is being played in living color in their homes if they care to see. The victims tell why we rebelled against injustice by Woyane. They have names, places and their broken and abused body to show us the inhumanity of Meles Zenawi and friends. There are many that are not accounted for. We should leave no stone unturned until we find out the fate of every single Ethiopian that has the misfortune to fall in woyanes hand.
I want to add what I observed from the ‘Solidarity with PM Abiy’ gatherings all over the world. I find the Ethiopian expression of love very unique. So the people of Bahir Dar decided to bring out a five hundred feet long flag and we were delirious and beside ourselves. It looked like our old Woyane friends were offended. They are fine with the festivities but what they objected to was the use of the old flag. That really hurt them and they were heard complaining about the breach of constitutional order. And they also said the flag is Amhara.
Well some Ethiopians did not take this kindly. Thus the people of Ginchi went for a thousand feet flag and not to be outdone the folks of Arba Minch went one thousand five hundred feet. They are toying with Woyane. I also know someone somewhere in Ethiopia that is sewing a two thousand feet green, yellow and red flag as you read this. I have a request. Why not make it stretch from Moyale to Asmara. Hopefully we do not have to be rerouted to the Red Sea like Dr. Abiy’s plane.
