Ethiopian Former Rebels Going To The Bush Again?

y Andualem Sisay Gessesse – Last week Mekelle University, which is found in the northern part of Ethiopia Tigray Region, has organized a conference. One of the papers presented at the conference was by Mr. Bereket Simon, the former rebel fighter, who later served as Minister of Ethiopian Government Communications Affairs Office.

After reflecting on his new book, the gathering began discussions on the current political situation of Ethiopia. The next day a six minutes’ video clip taken from that conference went viral on social media. The clip shows one person criticizing the Tigray Peoples Liberation Front (TPLF) in the presence of its founders and godfathers who are now hiding in Mekele after the federal government began crackdown on people implicated in major corruption and committed crimes against humanity.

The guy in the video is Amdom Gebreslasie, the communication head of Arena Tigray – the only opposition party operating legally in Tigray Region, whose members have allegedly been attacked and arrested several times by the party which has been leading the region for the past 27 years – TPLF.

Amdom blamed Mr. Bereket for introducing tribal politics along with the late Meles Zenawi and Sibhat Nega. Amdom indicated that the ruling coalition, Ethiopian Peoples’ Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF), has never been elected to lead the country. It has managed to stay on power “by stealing votes of the people”. Read more...