Abiy Ahmed Breaks Record as the Deadliest Leader in the History of Ethiopia

Abiy Ahmed should face justice for the death of over a million under his reign in just four years. His actions still call for more bloodshed

The power struggle between TPLF & PP (the factions of EPRDF) led to proxy wars in multiple parts of the country. When the TPLF had failed to topple Abiy Ahmed's faction in the first two years, they started an open conventional war in November 2020 by savagely murdering thousands of ENDF troops based in Tigray stationed there for decades to protect people in the province ironically from a possible Eritrean attack. The TPLF's delusion to restore power and Abiy Ahmed's naivety & incompetence made the conflict an all-out civil war killing over half a million Ethiopians and billions worth of property.

Violence & lawlessness normalized.

Getachew Reda, Spokesman of the terrorist group frequently used to say they were given a green light for violence from Abiy. Out of options or not, Abiy promotes violence for achieving a political goal. After claiming to unify the nation & turn it back from the deadly institutionalized tribal politics, his administration created a new tribal regional state in Sidama. 

There were or are so many questions for a regional state status but the question in Sidama achieved its goal by violence. Mass killings and property destruction were committed in major multicultural towns like Hawasa and Yirgalem against those who don't identify with Sidama. Until that event, the stance in the inner circle of Abiy Ahmed was Sidama won't be the first tribal regional state post TPLF Ethiopia. But it happened. Even worse, Abiy's right hand man Mayor of Addis Ababa Adanech Abebe donated billions of ETB to the new tribal region. The money was collected from the poor people of her city whose families were targeted by the Sidama regional gang. She even insulted those who opposed the move as reactionaries during the inaugural event of the new region.

The Gurages and other tribal elites (almost all are from the region's PP) were given a signal from Abiy to do what the Sidama gang leaders did. Some of them tried it, there were low scale killings across the SNNPR region. The Gurages, the largest from those calling for a tribal region, rebelled somewhat nonviolently but didn't do enough violence against the usual targets. So, the Gurages are now under a military command post imposed by Abiy, and the Gurage zone will be forced into a new multicultural region called Central Ethiopia. I personally support the new region but I'm explaining how Abiy and his regime do business. 

Violence across the Oromia region continued unabated against the usual targets Amharic speakers (not just Amharas), Orthodox Christians, Gurages, mixed Oromos and other multicultural Ethiopians in the last few years. The savage killings following the assassination of singer Hachalu Hundesa are still fresh memories. The culprits are free from prison, live in Addis Ababa with comfort and still call for more violence. Look at a recent statement by Jawar Mohammed's OFC.

The war being waged by OLA shene is also part of that. The regime announced the compete defeat of OLA shene a hundred times in the last four years, but no the group is even stronger. Abiy recognized that following the capture of Dessie in 2021. The recent prison break in the town of Bulle hora or Hagere selam confirms the group is still embedded in the ranks of the Oromia regional government. 

Costly naivety and carelessness

Living under TPLF's Ethiopia was just enough to learn how far TPLF would go to defend the status-quo. It was clear the TPLF was preparing to invade Ethiopia. Even kids knew that watching TV shows aired on regional Tigrayan TV networks. The so-called sudden attack by TPLF on the night of the US presidential elections in 2020 resulted in the death of 1000s of ENDF troops. The following war and hunt for TPLF leaders killed even more thousands. But for Abiy the sacrifice of the troops didn't matter. 

After the capture of Mekelle, he put together a group of mediocre Facebook activities & ex-TPLF members in charge of Tigray after the TPLF leadership fled to the mountains. These mediocre individuals didn't even see eye to eye. They never worked as a unit. Some were playing Tedy afro's Ja Yestesereal song that has verses ridiculing pre-1991 TPLF fighters. Doing so in such a hot war indirectly served TPLF's cause that the Ethiopian army was a foreign occupying army. Some members of that mediocre Tigray interim admin were calling for violence against ENDF in public TVs including those based in Addis Ababa. It looked like there was no government in Addis Ababa even after declaring triumph over TPLF.

"Even colonel Mengistu Hailemariam who was more brutal than Abiy cared so much for the sacrifices of his troops and reportedly used to spend days without food" 

The subsequent events were history. TPLF marching up to the mountains of Debre Birhan. Abiy's disrespect for the sacrifice of the army continued. Thousands of ENDF troops were killed in the hunt for TPLF leaders. But Abiy surprised them by freeing Sebhat Nega the God father of TPLF who was captured in a snake hole. In a recent interview, field marshal Berhanu Jula claimed the old guard of the TPLF was the one pushing for war which means Sebhat Nega was one of the architects of the latest crime, but Abiy set him free with his sister claiming God told him as if God was that unfair.

The "I'm elected" myth

His sick assumption or delusion that he's a democratically elected leader in an election conducted in the middle of a hot war when the TPLF was advancing is another crime. That election was boycotted by the majority of Ethiopians, even those who took part feared the election might complicate the war with TPLF & just allowed the status quo to go on. Abiy took that wise decision by the electorate as ignorance.

Externalizing the chaos 

Abiy recently declared the TPLF is no longer a threat to his power, its rather the new Amhara-Shene and the old Oromo-Shene. Adding the threats of Egypt on GERD also gives Abiy another excuse to delay/scrap the democratization process and continue his comfort from Arat Killo. This is all a crime, the souls of 100s of 1000s troops killed to save Ethiopia will follow him. The tears of the poor living in death & life condition due to the collapsing economy will curse him.

Five years after the death of a million under his watch, Abiy still seems to be unsure of the future of Ethiopia which also promotes more violence by feeding the narrative of extremist armed groups across the country.

Average citizens can't speculate or try to connect dots. They need to hear from their leadership to prepare for the next war or peace. Instead of leading. Abiy keeps surprising people by coining new words, daily agendas and technological projects. He could be minister of technology or tourism, he loves technology and feeding the poor on Sundays. but as a leader of the nation & its security apparatus, every blood dropped and shed is on his hands.

Next, we don't know where the violence will be. Abiy Ahmed has made it clear only violence is the way to achieve a political end. 

Sane Ethiopians are silent, millions more being drafted to extremist groups, his administration at the helm of all the chaos in Ethiopia, especially now after TPLF officially surrendered with decisive defeated on the battlefield.

Eternal glory to ENDF and all Ethiopian armed forces who paid their lives to save Ethiopia from its enemies.

Amen!