First of all, I would like to express my deepest condolences to all the people of Ethiopia and families of the victims of the brutal killings in Libya. After watching the atrocious and inhumane crime against my own people on the shores of the brotherly country of the late Muammar Al-Gaddafi, I was deeply disturbed and found it rather unbearable to keep on watching. I then turned off the gadget and tried to find some solace in silence.
That was much better. When I came to myself and tried to write this article, I was stricken with a grief, not least recalled time and again by the melancholic sound of the Washint.
I will not touch upon politics. Nor will I dare to comment on the US Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs Wendy Sherman’s, flattery, trying to tell us, the Ethiopian people, about the 99.6pc votes secured by EPRDF and her hopes of the upcoming election. I do not want to write about realising our dreams to soon find ourselves in the midst of middle-income countries, or the vows and pledges being made by the ruling party and its guns that we will get anything, anytime and anywhere. I have yet to hear when we shall be sending the first Ethiopian to the moon.
I simply opted to focus on the main issue at hand as the atrocious murder did not seem to end after last week’s massacre.
What can be done to rescue those under ISIS hostage now and in future?
There is very little we can do by staging a country-wide wave of protests and demonstrations. As I said earlier, this is not a question of who wants to profit from this atrocious, brutal and barbaric act. It is time to join hands and save Ethiopians from shame and disrespect in the face of the world.
At this point, I would like to recall the July 1976 Rescue Mission organised and engineered by the Israeli Mosad flying at night for over 2,500Km to the Entebbe Airport in Uganda to rescue the Israeli hostages. It was a mission that gained the admiration of the world.
At the end of the operation, 90 Israelis were rescued at the cost of only one security officer. The rest is history.
Can we do that now?
That would be a far cry that falls on deaf ears.
Families and all Ethiopians here and abroad must find ways and means to bring everybody together to discuss tolerance, reconciliation and mutual respect under the banner of “Ethiopiansm”. Rhetoric and speeches without substance do not hold any water.
Almost everybody having access to the microphone tries to advise the youth not to flee. The state media deprives them of the opportunity to express their views freely. Poverty is the main cause, although there can be other reasons like political intimidation and suppression, that cause them to seek refuge somewhere. They know that their lives are at risk. It is almost a suicidal act to travel all the distance to the coasts of the Mediterranean Sea and take risks of floating or sinking to cross over to Europe.
I hope this call will be heard and read by Ethiopians and Eritreans the world over. By the way, according to CNN sources, an Eritrean who was along the Ethiopian victims could somehow foresee the danger when the disguised Islamic State (IS) militants surrounded the 29 Ethiopians. He tried to run away for dear life at least for the moment, but not so far as to save himself.
This is not a time for competing in telling lies and deluding one’s self into crying over spilt milk by playing dramas, spending time, dearly earned taxpayers money, and use of the state media over the foregone results of the vote. The new generation cannot be fooled by old and obsolete rhetorical tricks.
Every minute and every word counts. Let us not miss the opportunity that has just availed itself. We have to use it now instead of lamenting over the disastrous encounters that are awaiting. Think of what has happened in the most democratic nations on the planet.
Whether it is in Ferguson, Missouri; in the gas chambers of Auschwitz, on the streets of Alepo, or in the shopping mall of Nairobi, all murders committed in cold blood are to be condemned as crimes against humanity. What all call for, is justice to be served duly and perpetrators be punished accordingly.
Look what has happened in Eritrea for the last 5 decades. War was waged for over 30 years to be free from the bondage of the so-called Ethiopian colonialism. After victory what did the Eritreans gain?
They were able to exist as a free nation covered by euphoria and emotions. In due time, however, facts on the ground showed that Eritreans fell prey to the hands of their own coloniser. Now both Eritreans and Ethiopians alike are exerting efforts to re-establish people to people reconciliation actions. This spirit has to surge into both countries. Reconciliation and peace-making efforts have no options.
In this effort, liars, opportunists or hypocrites should not have a place as they would create illusions through semantics.
They would blur and confuse the lay majority. Words like, “We shall strengthen that and sustain our efforts” or “we denounce the terrorist act” can be used as a cover to mystify insidious messages across the general public.
Liars should be humiliated in the face of truth and genuine causes. Incidentally, the police biting in the skirmish at the end of the official public protest have sent the wrong message – as if they were supporters of the brutal militants. God bless the martyrs.
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