ኦነግ ለኦሮሞ ህዝብ ምኑ ነው?

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ጸሐፊ: አፈንዲ ሙተቂ

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ከትናንት ወዲያ ከኦሮሞ ድርጅቶች አካባቢ ባንዲራን አስመልክቶ የተጻፈ አንድ ደብዳቤ በኢንተርኔት ላይ መጠነኛ ግርግር ማስነሳቱ ይታወሳል። የኦሮሞዎችን በጎ የማይመኙ የሸይጣን ቁራጮች ያ ግርግር ተስፋፍቶ እርስ በእርስ የምንባላ መስሎአቸው እንደ ጥንብ አንሳ ሬሳችንን ዘነጣጥለው ሊበሉ አስፍስፈው ሲጠብቁ ነበር። ይሁንና ከህዝባችን የወረስነውን የMangudummaa እና የDubbii Qabbaneessuu ስልቶች ተጠቅመን ልዩነታችንን በቀላሉ ፈትተናል። 

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እነዚህ ከይሲዎች በተለይ "ኦነግ" የሚለው ስም ሲነሳ እንደ እግር እሳት ያሳምማቸዋል። ይህንን አንጋፋ ድርጅታችንን ስም ለማጥፋት የማያደርጉት ጥረት የለም። ይሁን እንጂ ኦነግን ከኦሮሞ ህዝብ ትግል ማፋታት ከንቱ ድካም ነው። 

በእርግጥ እንላችኋለን። የኦሮሞ ድርጅቶች ሁሉ ለህዝባቸው ነፃነት፣ አንድነት፣ ህልውና እና ክብር ያደረጉት ትግል ሲመዘን የአንበሳውን ድርሻ የሚወስደው የኦሮሞ ነፃነት ግንባር ነው። ይህም ከመሠረታዊ ነገር ነው የሚጀምረው።

# ጨቋኝ ስርዓቶች የኦሮሞ ህዝብን ማንነት ለማጥፋት ዘማቻ የጀመሩት ህዝቡ የሚጠራበትን ትክክለኛ ስም በመቀየር ነበር። ገዥዎች "ኦሮሞ" የሚለውን ስም አጥፍተው አፀያፊ ፍቺዎች የሰጡትን ስም በግዴታ በህዝቡ ላይ ጭነው ነበር። ይህንን ሆን ተብሎ የኦሮሞ ህዝብን ለማዋረድ የተደረገውን ሴራ ተዋግቶ ህዝቡ በዓለም ዙሪያ "ኦሮሞ" በተሰኘው ትክክለኛ ስሙ ብቻ እንዲታወቅ ያደረገው የኦሮሞ ነፃነት ግንባር ነው።

# በታሪክ ሂደት ተበታትነው ወደ መረሳሳት ደረጃ ደርሰው የነበሩትን የምስራቅ፣ የምዕራብ፣ የሰሜንና የደቡብ ኦሮሞዎችን ሙሉእ በሆነ ሁኔታ አንድ ላይ ያሰባሰበው ድርጅት ኦነግ ነው። አሁን ያለው የኦሮሞ ህዝብ አንድነት በአብዛኛው የኦነግ የስራ ውጤት ነው።

# የኦሮሞ ህዝብ በባህሉ፣ በቋንቋው፣ በትውፊቱና በታሪኩ ሳያፍር ማንነቱን እንዲገልጽና ኦሮሞነቱን በየትኛውም መስክ እንዲያሳውቅ ከማንም በላይ የጣረው የኦሮሞ ነፃነት ግንባር (ኦነግ) ነው። 

# ኦነግ የኦሮሞ ብሄርተኝነት አባት ነው። Orommumaa እና Sabboonummaa የሚባሉትን ጽንሰ ሐሳቦች በመቅረጽ የኦሮሞ ብሄርተኝነትን ያበለፀገው ኦነግ ነው። ከሰላሳ ዓመታት በፊት ኢብሳ፣ ቶላ፣ መገርሳ በሚሉ ስሞች ልጆቹን መጥራቱን አቁሞ የነበረው ሙስሊሙም ሆነ ክርስቲያኑ ኦሮሞ ዛሬ ኮራ ብሎ "ሃዊ፣ ቀነኒ፣ ፊራኦል፣ ኦብሰን፣ ሳርቱ" የሚሉ ስሞችን ለልጆቹ እየሰጠ ያለው ኦነግ በቀየሰው መንገድ inspire ስለሆነ ነው።

# ኦነግ "የቁቤ አፋን ኦሮሞ" አባት ነው። አፋን ኦሮሞ በላቲን ፊደል እንዲጻፍ ምርምር አድርገው ውጤቱን ይፋ ያደረጉት ሼኽ ሙሐመድ ረሻድ እና ኃይሌ ፊዳ ናቸው። እነርሱ ያጠናቀሯቸውን ጥናቶች በማዳበር ለመጀመሪያ ጊዜ በስራ ላይ ያዋለው ግን የኦሮሞ ነፃነት ግንባር (ኦነግ) ነው። ኦነግ በሽግግሩ ዘመን ከሰራቸው ስራዎች መካከል ትልቁ አፋን ኦሮሞ የትምህርት ቋንቋ ሆኖ የኦሮሞ ልጆች በቋንቋቸው እንዲማሩ ማድረጉ ነው (በዚህ ረገድ የትምህርት ሚኒስትር የነበሩት አቶ ኢብሳ ጉተማ ከፍተኛ ሚና ተጫውተዋል)። 

# ኦነግ የዘመናዊው የአፋን ኦሮሞ ስነ ጽሑፍ አባትም ነው። በቁቤ አፋን ኦሮሞ የተጻፉ የግጥም እና የልብ ወለድ መጻሕፍትን ለመጀመሪያ ጊዜ ያሳተመው ኦነግ ነው። በቁቤ የሚዘጋጁ ጋዜጦችና መጽሔቶችንም ለመጀመሪያ ጊዜ ያሳተመው ኦነግ ነው።

# አሁን የስራ ቋንቋ ሆኖ የሚያገለግለውን የተማከለ የአፋን ኦሮሞ ዘይቤንም የፈጠረው የኦሮሞ ነፃነት ግንባር ነው። ለቢሮክራሲ ስራ የሚያስፈልጉና በሂደት ለመጥፋት ተቃርበው የነበሩ የኦሮምኛ ቃላትን ከልዩ ልዩ የኦሮሚያ ዞኖች አሰባስቦ በመዝገበ ቃላት በመሰነድ በመላው ዓለም በሚኖሩ ኦሮሞዎች ዘንድ እንዲታወቁ ያደረገው ኦነግ ነው። 

# ኦነግ የዘመናዊው የኦሮሞ የታሪክ ጽሑፍ አባትም ነው። ለመጀመሪያ ጊዜ በመላው የኦሮሚያ ዞኖች ላይ ያተኮረ የታሪክ መጽሐፍ አሳትሞ ያቀረበው የኦሮሞ ነፃነት ግንባር ነው (ከዚያ በፊት ይወጡ የነበሩት የታሪክ መጻሕፍት በአንዱ የኦሮሚያ ዞን፣ ወይንም በአንድ የኦሮሞ ነገድ ላይ ብቻ ያተኮሩ ነበሩ)።

# ለመጀመሪያ ጊዜ የገዳ ስርዓትን አተገባበር በተሟላ ሁኔታ የሚተርክ መጽሐፍ የጻፉት ፕሮፌሰር አስመሮም ለገሰ ናቸው። የገዳ ስርዓትን በዓለም ዙሪያ በስፋት ያስተዋወቁት ግን በውጭ ሀገራት የነበሩት የኦነግ የውጭ ግንኙነት ቢሮዎች ናቸው። 

# ኦነግ ሁሉን አቀፍ የኦሮሞ ጥናት አባትም ነው። በኦሮሞ ህዝብ ባህል፣ ታሪክ፣ ኢኮኖሚ፣ ቋንቋና የነፃነት ትግል ላይ ያተኮሩ ጥናታዊ ጽሑፎች የሚቀርቡበትን ዓለም አቀፍ ኮንፈረስ ለመጀመሪያ ጊዜ ያዘጋጀው የኦነግ የውጭ ግንኙነት ቢሮ ነው። በዛሬው ዘመን በዚህ ዘርፍ ተጠቃሽ ሆኖ የወጣው የኦሮሞ ጥናት ማህበር (Oromo Studies Association) የተመሠረተው ኦነግ ሲያዘጋጃቸው በነበሩት ኮንፈረንሶች ላይ ሲገናኙ በነበሩት ምሁራን አማካኝነት ነው።

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ኦነግ በነፃነት ትግሉ ዘርፍ ያደረገው አስተዋጽኦ ሲገመገም ደግሞ ከላይ ከሰፈረው በእጅጉ ይበልጣል። ስለዚህ ወደ ዝርዝሩ መግባቱ ለጊዜው አያስፈልገንም። በአጭሩ ግን "ኦሮሞዎች በነገድ፣ በጎሳ፣ በክፍለ ሀገርና በሃይማኖት ሳይለያዩ በኦሮሙማ መንፈስ አንድ ላይ ሆነው በተደራጀ ሁኔታ ለነፃነታቸው እንዲታገሉ የቀሰቀሰ፣ ለትግሉ ያሰማራ እና ያታገለ፣ በዚህም ከኦሮሞ ህዝብ መጠነ ሰፊ ድጋፍ፣ ከበሬታ እና አመኔታ የተሰጠው ዋነኛው ድርጅት ነው" በማለት ማስቀመጥ ይቻላል። የኦሮሞ ህዝብ የትግል መንፈስ ሳይቀዘቅዝ አሁን ካለበት ደረጃ ላይ የደረሰው ኦነግ ባቀጣጠለው ጎዳና ላይ በመራመድ ነው።

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ይህ ሲባል ግን ግንባሩ ችግር አልነበረበትም ማለት አይደለም። የግንባሩን እንቅስቃሴዎች ሰንገው የያዙ በርካታ ችግሮች ተፈጥረውበታል። ይሁን እንጂ ከቅርብ ጊዜ ወዲህ "ኦነግ በኦሮሞ ህዝብ ትግል ውስጥ አንድም አስተዋጽኦ የለውም" የሚሉት ወጀላቴዎች የሚነዙት ፕሮፓጋንዳ እያስገረመኝ ነው። 

ከነዚህ ወጀላቴዎች ጋር ቃላት መመላለስ አያስፈልግም። ለጊዜው አንድ ነገር ብቻ ልወርውርባቸው። ኦነግ የሚባል ድርጅት ባይኖር ኖሮ ኦህዴድ የሚባል ድርጅት ባልተፈጠረ ነበር። ኦነግ ባይኖር ኖሮ ሌሎች የኦሮሞ ድርጅቶችም ባልተፈጠሩ ነበር። ኦነግ ባይኖር ኖሮ በዛሬው እለት በልጽግና ብብት ላይ ተሰባስበው የተጣረሰ ጽሑፍ የሚጽፉት ቀለብተኞች ቱሪናፋቸውን አይነፉብንም ነበር። 

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ወደዚህ ደግሞ "ኦነግ 40 ዓመት ታግሎ ለኦሮሞ ህዝብ ምንም አልሰራም" የሚሉ አሉ። በእርግጥም ኦነግ በመሳሪያ ተዋግቶ የአራት ኪሎ ቤተ መንግስትን መቆጣጠር አልቻለም። ይህም የራሱ ምክንያት ስላለው ወደ ዝርዝሩ አልገባም። የዕድሜው ጉዳይ ለሚያስጨንቃቸው ሰዎች ግን "የፍልስጥኤም፣ የኩርድ፣ የቺቺኒያ እና የሌሎች ነፃ አውጪ ንቅናቄዎች ብዙ ዓመት ተዋግተው መቼ አሸነፉ?" እንላቸዋለን።

ከዚህ በተረፈ ኦነግ ብዙ ነገር ሰርቷል።

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ወያኔ በነዛው የበደኖ ፕሮፓጋንዳ ላይ ግግም ብለው የኦነግን አራጅነት ሊያስረዱን ለሚፈልጉት ደግሞ "ዓላማችሁ ኦነግን መምታት ሳይሆን ኦሮሞን መጥላት ነው" ብለን እቅጩን እንነግራቸዋለን (የበደኖውን ፊልም ቀርጾ በቲቪ ያሳየው ወያኔ ነው። ኦነግ ሲያርድ ቀራጩ አጠገቡ ነበረ ማለት ነው? ይገርማል እኮ ጃል)።

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በመጨረሻም:

Effective Meeting

12 Proven Tips for Effective Meeting Management

MEETINGS, in essence, are meant to boost productivity and efficiency. When everyone is on the same page and aware of what should be done, even the most challenging tasks can be completed.

In reality, we find ourselves stuck at unproductive meetings, week after week. The average executive spends 18 hours a week at meetings. Almost half of all attendees say that meetings are the number one time-waster at work.

Not only can meetings be a waste of time, but if not planned efficiently, they’re actually a waste of money, too. A study of time budgeting found that a single weekly meeting of mid-level managers cost an organization $15M a year!

Interested in how much you’re spending on meetings, and how much you could be saving? Try this meeting cost calculator by Harvard Business Review.

At Scoro, we’re all about time management, and we put a lot of effort into having effective meetings. Insanely productive meetings mean that there’s less of them – last year we spent only 6,380 combined hours at meetings!

Love them or hate them, you can’t completely eliminate meetings. So it’s important to make them as useful and constructive as possible. In the spirit of efficiency, saved time and money – here are 12 proven meeting management tips for higher productivity!

1. Have a Clear Objective

Is the meeting needed to generate new ideas, to gather information, or to make decisions? Or perhaps it is a combination of the above?

If you’re unsure what you’re trying to accomplish, you can be sure it won’t happen. The number one factor for a successful meeting is having a clear goal and a concrete agenda.

Entrepreneur and influencer Neil Patel says he refuses to have a meeting simply for the sake of having a meeting. “No purpose, no meeting.”

He starts every meeting by stating the ultimate goal for that meeting. “Meetings aren’t social gatherings. Instead, they are goal-oriented business events. I’m not against hanging out with people, but there are better times to do this than during a business meeting,” he says.

Jessica Pryce-Jones, the author of the book “Running Great Meetings & Workshops For Dummies,” was recently in a meeting with a company’s senior leadership team that lasted four hours.

“And I wasn’t sure at any point whether they were informing each other, whether they were discussing, or whether they were deciding. I wasn’t convinced that the meeting was any more strategically advanced as a result of the senior team having met than if they hadn’t met.”

Start with the goal, and you’ll finish with success.

2. Meet Outside the Office

When tired faces, low energy, and lack of ideas start to appear at meetings, it’s a sign that it’s time to take the meeting outside. An off-site session is perfect for avoiding meeting fatigue.

Take your staff to the nearby café, to the park or even a bar. Sometimes a change of scenery is all that’s needed for bringing energy and good ideas back to the table.

After the meeting, follow up on your team if they enjoyed the change of pace and found it constructive. If not, try something else – it’s never a complete waste of time!

3. Be Prepared

The key to successful meeting management is in the preparation. Before the meeting starts, provide all participants with an agenda.

The agenda should include:

a list of topics to be covered

a brief description of the meeting’s objectives

a list of people attending the meeting

who will address each topic

the time and location of the meeting

any background information participants need to know about the subject

What’s the most important thing you should do with your agenda? Follow it closely!

A Tesla employee was quoted on Quora, saying “When we met with Elon, we were prepared. Because if you weren’t, he’d let you know it. If he asked a reasonable follow-up question and you weren’t prepared with an answer, well, good luck.”

4. Invite Less People

Ask yourself ruthlessly: Do all these people really need to attend the meeting? Most of the time, a brief summary by email will work just as well.

If you can reduce a half-hour meeting’s attendee list by just two people whose presence isn’t essential, that’s an hour of productive time returned to the company.

The purpose of meetings is to make decisions, not to simply share information. It’s easy to view the meeting as a waste of time when attendees don’t feel the discussed topic is relevant to them.

Read on: Still managing your meeting history on a spreadsheet? Read why you need an Excel Alternative.

Need inspiration? Amazon’s Jeff Bezos follows the Two Pizza Rule: No meeting should have more people than can be fed with a pair of pepperoni pies. This not only allows for quicker decisions, but it also lets teams test their ideas without the interference of groupthink – the Amazon exec’s biggest pet peeve.

5. Don’t Be Late

Late arrivals can eat up 5 to 10 minutes of the meeting, or in most cases – make the meeting 10 minutes longer. Waiting up for people who are habitually late is unfair to those who show up on time.

The solution? Don’t wait for them. Starting the meeting the minute it’s scheduled to begin sends a clear message to the latecomers, and develops a reputation for promptness.

It doesn’t hurt to get creative either. Employees of TINYpulse, an employee engagement software company, rarely forget a meeting because the company starts them at an odd time. The company’s daily staff meeting, for example, starts at 8:48 am.

“It’s strange, but at 8:48, everyone in our office seems to rise simultaneously and move toward our meeting area. There’s definitely a Pavlovian aspect to the odd meeting time,” says communications manager Neal McNamara.

6. Stand up

Stand-up meetings (or simply “stand-ups”) have become popular team rituals. Employees become more engaged, more collaborative and less territorial when they participate in a project that involves standing.

Nothing conveys urgency like being on your feet during a meeting.

Professor Bob Sutton, the co-author of the management book Hard Facts, observed this as he was writing the book. He and his co-author Jeff Pfeffer would often meet at Pfeffer’s home, in a room with only one chair. With no place to sit, they covered everything fast and effectively.

That led the team to look into a study that compared the decisions made by teams who had stand-up meetings vs groups holding seated meetings. In the stand-up meetings, groups took 34% less time making decisions, with no real difference in the quality of the decision.

For logistical reasons, stand-up meetings aren’t always practical, but they’re worth considering.

7. Leave Room for Creativity

The experience and knowledge of your employees is a valuable resource. A source too important to be left untapped.

Short and constructive meetings are ideal, but not when they are stripped down from idea generation and discussion. A successful meeting should result in creativity and energy. This happens when people are actively participating, not just passively attending.

Brainstorming sessions are common, but too often ineffective practice. It’s not the actual idea generation that matters, but following through with the ideas.

Every Thursday, food manufacturer Plum Organics gets out coloring books and holds a creative-thinking meeting where staff members color, talk, and decompress. Their innovation director Jen Brush says the hour has been extremely important to the company’s new product development.

“It’s proven that coloring during a meeting helps promote active listening, and is more beneficial than multitasking on something like email,” she says.

By taking a more creative approach, these sessions can be productive and inspiring at the same time.

Read on: How to Root Out Bias from Your Decision-Making Process

8. Don’t Lose Focus

For some reason, at every meeting, there seems to be that one person who tends to go off telling stories not connected to the discussed topic in any way. And while storytelling is not generally bad (quite the opposite, to be exact!), an off-topic talk at a meeting can really drag the session.

The hardest task to accomplish leading a group of people is to get them to focus. Whether it’s the organizer or any of the participants, someone should always take the responsibility of guiding the meeting back to the assigned topics and bringing back the focus.

Scope creep refers to constant uncontrollable changes in a meeting’s scope. This can occur when the outcome of a project is not properly defined, documented, or controlled – and is considered harmful for the success of a project.

Read on: Business Management Trends You Should Quit in 2017

Brivo, a security software provider, keeps meetings on point with its “No Rehash” rule. Employees signal to others that a topic has already been addressed by raising the “No Rehash” Ping-Pong paddle.

“I started noticing that we kept making many of the same decisions over and over again,” says president and CEO Steve Van Till. “It’s a visual reminder, but more importantly, it empowers everyone in the company to call out counterproductive rehashing whenever and wherever they see it. The big-time savings is that no one has to justify invoking the rule itself, and the meeting can proceed with earlier decisions intact.”

When a meeting has a clear focus, it’s much easier to set concrete action steps and follow up. If you got to the end of the meeting without having actionable next steps, the meeting should be considered wasted time.

9. Stop Multitasking

Multitasking is a testament to our modern, connected life. But it is taking its toll. A study shows it makes us less effective, increases stress, and costs the global economy an estimated $450 billion every year.

More frighteningly, Harvard Business Review reports that multitasking leads to a 40% drop in productivity and a loss of 10 IQ points… equivalent to pulling an all-nighter.

Nowhere is the problem more apparent than in the meeting rooms where email, texts, and web browsing can have a significant impact on an organization’s bottom line.

How to prevent participants from multitasking at meetings?

Assign roles for the meeting. Who will facilitate? Who will take minutes? Who will take notes? When each person is assigned a job, meetings are more focused and productive.

Provide a timed agenda. Everyone’s time is valuable, so each person needs to focus on the assigned topics and problems. The timed agenda can also discourage sidebar conversations, or working on problems that the group isn’t prepared to address.

Have a phone/computer parking lot. And encourage people to use it. It is estimated that employees who use smartphones and computers are distracted on average after every 10 minutes. Unless the computer is absolutely necessary for the meeting, turn it off.

During meetings at Keller-Williams Realty, anyone whose phone rings must make a donation to KW Cares, the company’s charitable foundation. Spokesman Darryl Frost says the policy cuts down on interruptions during meetings. “When it happens, it supports our corporate nonprofit,” he says. “It’s a win-win.”

10. Keep Your Meetings Short

It’s very likely that 30 minutes into the meeting, your team’s attention is not a sharp as at the beginning. It’s not that they are bored or easily distracted – it’s the simple fact that there is a lot of information to process. The longer the meeting, the more effort it will take to keep up the energy and discussion.

Having short meetings is an essential component to improving your team’s efficiency. An agenda tends to expand to whatever time limit is set for a particular meeting, so feel free to give your meetings a “hard stop” whenever it feels right.

52 minutes is generally the longest time workers can remain truly engaged. Do not schedule any meeting to last longer than an hour. People appreciate it when you understand that their time is valuable.

At O3 World, a digital agency, the conference room is hooked up to a technology the company created called Roombot. The app reads everyone’s Google Calendar and warns meeting participants when it’s time to wrap up. Roombot also controls the lighting in the room, dimming the bulbs in the final minutes of the meeting.

“Roombot creates more urgency and structure to the team’s calendars,” says O3 World’s CEO Keith Scandone. “Instead of having a line of people waiting outside the conference room, this is a fun way to remind people to wrap up their meeting and get ready for the next group of people to occupy the space.”

11. Don’t Forget the Q&A

All managers claim to have an open-door policy. As good as it may make the manager look, practice shows that the vast majority of attendees aren’t taking advantage of it. It’s up to the manager to actually engage employees. And meetings are an excellent place for practicing the skill.

The Q&A session is often pushed to the end of a meeting, leaving just a couple of minutes for it. However, this segment is just as important as the rest of the meeting. When a concrete action plan is set up at the meeting, but follow-up questions are left unanswered, the result can spell disaster. It is ineffective the least.

To ensure more meaningful engagement, consider extending Q&A session to match the length of the meeting. You might even consider switching up the overall format, with a short meeting intro followed by a longer Q&A. Depending on the meeting type, this could create a virtuous cycle, and help with building an enthusiastic team.

Another tip is collecting the questions about the topic in advance. This can help on several levels: The manager can plan their talk more effectively, and the team will have the time to consider ideas instead of scrambling to come up with questions at the end of a meeting.

12. Follow Up

The art of follow up is a vital professional habit, and it also matters in the context of meetings.

It’s quite common for people to come away from the same meeting with very different interpretations of what went on. Document the responsibilities given, tasks delegated, and any assigned deadlines, and send out the meeting notes on the day of the meeting. That way, everyone will be on the same page.

For very important matters, make a note on a shared team calendar or task management software, to continue following up until you reach a resolution.

Follow-ups should never be interpreted as micromanagement. It is a natural and necessary part of project leadership. If you want anything to happen, you must follow up, follow up, and follow up.

The key to successful meetings lies in communication. Especially if you’re experimenting with new formats. Ask your employees for feedback, be open to suggestions, and base your conclusions on what they think, not how you personally feel. If your team feels engaged and effective, you’re surely on the right track.

Three questions to ask yourself, before scheduling your next meeting:

Is the meeting necessary?

Who really needs to be there?

What will be the agenda?

“You will never see eye-to-eye if you never meet face-to-face.” 

-Warren Buffett

Evil person

Evil can be defined, but it's hard to pin down. Simply put: an evil person is someone who engages in malevolent behaviors. Some argue that they're immoral, sick, depraved, or wicked, but those words are hard to define. Immorality to one is normalcy to another.

 But when you meet an evil person, no amount of questioning definitions will change your mind. The truth is, you will know it when you see it.

 Evil people come from all sorts of places, often ones you wouldn't expect. We find these bad people at our schools, at our churches and places of worship, in the homes of our friends — everywhere we look.

 In a study from the University of Copenhagen, researchers found that certain traits — such as sadism, narcissism, psychopathy, and others — are common in people with a dark personality.

 The common factor of these dark traits is known as the D-factor. The study defines the D-factor as "the general tendency to maximize one's individual utility — disregarding, accepting, or malevolently provoking disutility for others — accompanied by beliefs that serve as justifications."

 The study found that these dark traits originate with placing one's own interests over others, taking pleasure in hurting others in the process, and not feeling guilt or shame. These results can be compared to a study from 100 years ago by Charles Spearman, which showed that "people who score highly in one type of intelligence test typically also score highly in other types of intelligence tests, because there is something like a general factor of intelligence."

 And while a person's "dark core" includes traits that make up the dark triad — psychopathy, narcissism, and Machiavellianism — other traits include sadism, spitefulness, , egoism, and self-interest.

 Spot these characteristics in someone and you can be sure that whatever good is left in them, they will use it against you. There is only one solution for the evil people in our lives.

 16 Warning Signs Of Evil People

 1. They enjoy the misfortune of others.

 The malevolent ways of evil people often leave them so twisted and turned around on the inside that they feel good when they see misfortune. It might be a disaster on the news or a dramatic situation in front of them. They seem to delight in misfortune, to relish the bad feelings of other people.

 All the times that an evil person has been hurt in their life falls away when bad things happen to other people. The real danger here is that they could create bad situations for you and others in their life in order to enjoy the misfortune they create.

 It is important to recognize who they are before terrible things happen to you and the people they love. If horrible things happening is all that can help them feel better, you can't salvage or save them.

 2. They have control issues.

 Evil people have this in common: they're controlling. But it's not all about controlling you. They often feel downright uncomfortable and powerless if they aren't in control of every aspect of their lives.

 Malevolent people are often so cruel to the world and to the people around them that they can't entrust any part of their lives to another person. Because of this obsession, they can come off as polite, concise, and punctual.

 But when you let them get closer, they start controlling your life, too, making you just like them.

 Defying the wishes of an evil person doesn't always result in outright evil actions back to you. It may feel subtle. Not a slap to the face but a kick to the heart. The goal of the evil person is to control the way you feel on the inside, not how you feel on the outside.

 3 They are habitually dishonest.

 Let's be real. Everyone lies. We all do it. Some are little lies, others are big, big lies. But while everyone lies, not everyone is a liar.

 A liar is a real special breed. They lie pathologically, constantly, and sometimes without even realizing it. An evil liar will often lie so much that their lies are what form their reality. In living a life of lies, their own minds become prisoners to their own evil behaviors.

 Some evil people only lie a little bit, maybe stretching the truth to make themselves seem stronger, smarter, or better. Some evil people lie about you and others. But one thing is for sure: they are liars.

 The lies serve as a tool to manipulate a reality for the beliefs that serve them. When caught in a lie, they will probably try to gaslight you, make you question reality as it is, and make you continue to look to them as a source of strength when all they really are, are liars.

 4. You feel strange around them.

 It's been pretty well-demonstrated that each of our bodies emits an energy field. Why that is, we're not totally clear on. It could serve as an intuitive defense system.

 But in the same way that if you eat bad food, it shows on your skin; if you're evil on the inside, it shows up in your energy field.

 This might be why evil people give you a creepy feeling without them having actually done anything evil to you at all. Who they are on the inside can be picked up in their subtle energy field by your energy field.

 Often times, one of the surest signs of an evil person is that you just don't feel right around them. You get creepy feelings and can't quite put your finger on it.

 You might sound crazy to people listening to you talk about it, but don't deny the way the evil people in our world make you feel. Trust your gut and don't worry about it steering you wrong.

 If you get the wrong sense about someone, apologize. But better safe than sorry.

 5 They mislead you.

 Controlling reality is what gives an evil person most of their power. In doing so, they're able to make it serve as justifications to their petty wants and desires.

 This is why evil people have a tell: they mislead you into thinking one way or another about them, about the people in your life already, and about yourself.

 This misleading can come in many different forms, like misquoting, lying, or stretching the truth and twisting the facts. The end result is a world of their creation and a world that you have trouble understanding or believing in.

 This is one way to spot an evil person, especially a sly one: look for ways they mislead others. If you see it, go the other direction right away.

 6. They lack remorse.

 Let's cover what we've talked about so far: Evil people are controlling. They're liars. They delight in misfortune. They make you feel weird on the inside.

 You know the worst part about it all? They aren't ever sorry for the things they do and the way they make you feel. Evil people truly have no remorse.

 If you press them on the fact that they're unapologetic for their malevolent behavior and dark personality, they'll deflect, push it off onto you, and gaslight you into thinking the reality you know to be true isn't actually true. In reality, all they want to do is maintain their current quality of life by controlling you, and an apology would indicate fallibility.

 The evil ones in our world want you to see perfection to keep you wrapped around their fingers. Admission of fault would shatter that image they've carefully cultivated.

 7 They are cruel.

 So far, we've talked about evil people and the subtle ways they express their inner malevolent desires. Not all evil people like to be sly about it. Some choose to be outward with it. And one way they do so is through cruelty.

 This can come in the form of getting into fights, hurting their loved ones — their spouses, their children, their friends, or even hurting animals. Evil people are often victims of the prisons they've built for themselves, which is why they take so much joy out of misfortune and pain.

 It dulls the pain they each have inside of their hearts. But that doesn't mean you justify it or stick by evil people.

 If you're with someone who expresses themselves in such cruel ways, find ways to get away as soon as you can. One day, they may push their cruelty too far and really do some serious damage.

 8. They lack responsibility.

 An evil person has no sort of a moral compass. They'll do as they please and will never feel responsible for the pain they have caused to others.

 If they sense any sort of blame coming their way, they'll start redirecting it immediately.

 They love to shift the blame to others and have no understanding of what an apology is. They think apologizing is for the weak. They'd much rather make you apologize for their mistakes.

 

 9. Their friends and family warn you.

 A lot of the time one of the first signs that a person is truly evil is if their "friends" and family issue you warnings.

 They might talk about an ex-boyfriend or girlfriend who ran from them. They might casually dismiss the problems with previous relationships and make excuses for the evil person in their lives.

 This is a sort of manipulation, but it can also be seen as a warning sign of impending disaster.

 In a sense, these people are telling you that something is wrong and that it's

 10. They are bad friends.

 If an evil person comes to your assistance, know that they are doing it for a purpose. In other cases, they will only be there when things are going well for you.

 Once things start to go sour, they're nowhere to be found.

 11. They are racist, sexist, , or are bigots.

 Evil thrives when the good are divided. This has made some of the evilest people in the world — from Hitler to Stalin to Osama bin Laden — so wildly successful. They've taken the petty differences between people and used it to sow larger and larger rifts that end up in disaster.

 Often, they use bigotry, homophobia, sexism, racism, and fascism, in general, to keep good people apart, and to breed more evil people in the world.

 We won't mince words here:  Racists are evil. . And bigots, while not every time, are evil quite often.

 Be conscious of these types of people. Some are only misled, but many are outright malevolent.

 12 They manipulate.

 Evil people are just as capable of showing kindness as any malevolent behavior, but what truly sets them apart is the price that comes with their kindness. Often times, evil people will be kind to you only to get something they need from you later, be it money, subservience, or worse.

 Make it clear if they try to manipulate you based on their past kindness that kindness doesn't come with a price tag. You don't need any motivation or incentivization to do the right thing and to be kind to one another.

 Truly kind people are kind without the expectation of getting anything in return.

 13. They belittle you.

 One of the worst manipulations of an evil person is emotional manipulation. Usually, this comes in the form of being belittled.

 Belittling comes in a lot of different forms, too. It can be playing the victim when you haven't done anything wrong. Ridiculing your appearance, your body, your interests, your hopes, your hobbies, your goals, your friends, your house, your dreams — anything really can be belittled in the eyes of an evil person.

 Don't let malevolent people change your opinion of yourself and the decisions you've made. Simply say, "I'm sorry you aren't happy with that part of my life, but it is important to me." And that's that.

  14 They confuse and conflict.

 In the same way that evil people use the aforementioned tactics to split up good people, they'll utilize chaos, confusion, and conflict to their benefit.

 The more scattered, scared, and unsure you are, the more power they're going to have over you.

 You can fight back against this by being level-headed and secure in yourself, even when you don't fully understand what's going on in your life and your world.

 Often times, evil people are the ones who are putting all that confusion and conflict into your life in the first place. Don't fall into their trap.

 No matter what's happening, keep a cool demeanor. Use a level-headed approach to handling conflict and confusion in your life.

 15. They lead double lives.

 Malevolent people will never reveal their true lives to you. Saying they lead double lives is a huge understatement. They lead hundreds of lives.

 They are whoever they need to be to get what they want. They are a different person to everyone. They have a well-devised history and image they are trying to portray.

 The only common thing about all of them is that no one truly knows who they are.

 

 16. They don't have boundaries.

 Evil people are persistent, gregarious, intense, clingy, and fake. In a lot of ways, they're like boomerangs. No matter how hard you throw them out of your life, they always wind up circling back around to you.

 But only if you let them. You see, an evil person will try and manipulate you into opening the door and letting them back in.

 But there are dire consequences to doing this, and a malevolent person will gladly take off their jacket, kick off their shoes, and park themselves in front of the TV if you let them back in (so to speak).

 One thing is certain: no matter what, when you kick an evil person out of your life, they'll always try to work their way back in. It's inevitable, but it can be prevented. No matter how persistent, gregarious, intense, clingy, and fake an evil person is, they can always always always be booted from your life for good.

 They'll use every tool at their disposal to force you to let them stay. They'll manipulate, they'll lie, they'll pretend to be nice, they'll attack and belittle, they'll mislead and control.

   But one thing is for sure: when you've made the call to give them the boot from your space, your circle, and your life, you can never go back on it. They'll try to get you to change your mind, but the only way to liberate yourself from them is to leave them behind.

 An evil person can change, but they can only do it on their own. And you can't force them to change.

 They can only change when their hearts are open, they're ready to atone for what they've done, and they're ready to work hard at reforming their malevolent ways.

The agreement between Liberal Party of Canada and NDP, Delivering for Canadians Now.

Prime Minister of Canada

Justin Trudeau

Delivering for Canadians Now

March 22, 2022

Ottawa, Ontario

Today, the Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, announced an agreement reached by the Liberal Party of Canada and the New Democratic Party in Parliament, Delivering for Canadians Now, A Supply and Confidence Agreement.

Canadians are working hard to overcome the challenges of the global pandemic and now face a world made less secure because of Russia’s criminal war in Ukraine. Despite the challenges, Canadians are determined to build a better, more prosperous future. Voters have given this Parliament a clear mandate and do not want to endure needless delays in this important moment. They want to build a growing economy that supports their families with green jobs and climate action, more housing and child-care affordability, and stronger healthcare. Politics is supposed to be adversarial, but no one benefits when increasing polarization and parliamentary dysfunction stand in the way of delivering these results for Canadians.

In these highly uncertain and difficult times, Canadians expect us to come together and get to work to help make their lives better. The Liberal Party of Canada and Canada’s New Democratic Party have agreed to improve the way we approach politics over the next three years for the benefit of Canadians. The parties have identified key policy areas where there is a desire for a similar medium-term outcome. We have agreed to work together during the course of this Parliament to put the needs of Canadians first. This work will be focused on growing our economy by creating green jobs that fight the climate crisis, making people’s lives more affordable with housing and childcare, and expanding and protecting our healthcare. As the basis for this work, it is fundamental for the parties to advance reconciliation with Indigenous peoples. Both parties hope that by approaching this Parliament more collaboratively, we will be able to deliver on these shared policy objectives before the next election.

Both parties believe strongly in Parliament’s role to hold the government to account. Nothing in this agreement will undermine that critical function. The parties will not always agree. The government will pursue elements of its agenda that the NDP may oppose and nothing in this agreement prevents either party from doing that. Both parties will continue to seek to work with other parties in Parliament on the priorities that are the subject of this agreement and for other objectives. This agreement is not about compromising either party’s core beliefs or denying their differences. It is about ensuring those differences do not stand in the way of delivering on shared goals for the benefit of each and every Canadian.

Therefore, the parties agree to Delivering for Canadians Now: A Supply and Confidence Agreement from March 22, 2022 until when Parliament rises in June of 2025, in order to achieve the following:

A Parliament that works for Canadians

The arrangement lasts until Parliament rises in June 2025, allowing four budgets to be presented by the government during this time. To ensure coordination on this arrangement, both Parties commit to a guiding principle of “no surprises”.

The agreement will mean that the NDP agrees to support the government on confidence and budgetary matters – notably on budgetary policy, budget implementation bills, estimates and supply – and that the Liberal Party commits to govern for the duration of the agreement. The NDP would not move a vote of non-confidence, nor vote for a non-confidence motion during the term of the arrangement. Other votes which impede the government from functioning may be declared confidence by the government, in which case the government will commit to informing the NDP as soon as possible if a vote will be declared confidence, and the NDP will inform the government of their vote intentions before declaring publicly to permit discussions around confidence to take place.

Regarding committees, both parties agree to the importance of parliamentary scrutiny and the work done by Members of Parliament at committees. To ensure committees are able to continue their essential work, both parties agree to communicate regarding any issues which could impede the government’s ability to function or cause unnecessary obstructions to legislation review, studies and work plans at committees.

Both parties agree to the minimum standing meetings:

Leaders meeting at least once per quarterRegular House Leader meetingsRegular Whip meetingsMonthly stock-take meetings by an oversight group

The oversight group will consist of a small group of staff and politicians. This group will discuss overall progress on key commitments and upcoming issues.

In addition to briefings provided by the public service and ministers on policy matters related to the arrangement, including the budget and legislation, the government will ensure public servants remain available to brief the NDP on other matters. Briefings should be done in a timely fashion to allow for constructive feedback and discussion.

Both parties agree that parliamentary debate is essential. Both parties agree to identify priority bills to expedite through the House of Commons, including by extending sitting hours to allow for additional speakers, if needed. The NDP will support a limited number of programming motions to pass legislation that both parties agree to.

The agreement will serve to ensure Parliament continues to function in the interest of Canadians.

The Parties agree to prioritize the following actions, while continuing to work on other possible shared priorities through the oversight group.

1. A better healthcare system

Launching a new dental care program for low-income Canadians. Would start with under 12-year-olds in 2022, then expand to under 18-year-olds, seniors and persons living with a disability in 2023, then full implementation by 2025. Program would be restricted to families with an income of less than $90,000 annually, with no co-pays for anyone under $70,000 annually in income.Continuing progress towards a universal national pharmacare program by passing a Canada Pharmacare Act by the end of 2023 and then tasking the National Drug Agency to develop a national formulary of essential medicines and bulk purchasing plan by the end of the agreement. Recognizing that health systems have been stretched because of COVID, the parties realize that additional ongoing investments will be needed in the immediate future to address these pressures. We will work with the provinces and territories to determine how together we can deliver better health outcomes for Canadians, including more primary care doctors and nurses, mental health support, aging at home, and better data.Tabling a Safe Long-Term Care Act to ensure that seniors are guaranteed the care they deserve, no matter where they live.

2. Making life more affordable for people

Extending the Rapid Housing Initiative for an additional year.Re-focusing the Rental Construction Financing Initiative on affordable units (under 80% AMR) and use 80% AMR or below as definition of affordable housing.Moving forward on launching a Housing Accelerator Fund.        Implementing a Homebuyer’s Bill of Rights and tackling the financialization of the housing market by the end of 2023.  Including a $500 one-time top-up to Canada Housing Benefit in 2022 which would be renewed in coming years if cost of living challenges remain.Through introducing an Early Learning and Child Care Act by the end of 2022, ensuring that childcare agreements have long-term protected funding that prioritizes non-profit and public spaces, to deliver high quality, affordable child care opportunities for families.

3. Tackling the climate crisis and creating good paying jobs

Advancing measures to achieve significant emissions reductions by 2030 compared to 2005 levels. Continuing to identify ways to further accelerate the trajectory to achieve net-zero emissions no later than 2050.Moving forward in 2022 on the creation of the Clean Jobs Training Centre to support workers retention, redeployment and training.Moving forward with Just Transition legislation, guided by the feedback we receive from workers, unions, Indigenous peoples, communities, and provinces and territories.Developing a plan to phase-out public financing of the fossil fuel sector, including from Crown corporations, including early moves in 2022.Moving forward in 2022 on home energy efficiency programs that both enhance energy affordability for Canadians and reduce emissions, with investments to support multiple streams including low-income and multi-unit residential apartments. We will also ensure that this funding includes support for creating Canadian supply chains for this work to ensure the jobs stay in Canada and that we create the skills to export these valuable energy efficiency products around the world.

4. A better deal for workers

Ensuring that the 10 days of paid sick leave for all federally regulated workers starts as soon as possible in 2022.Introducing legislation by the end of 2023 to prohibit the use of replacement workers, “scabs,” when a union employer in a federally regulated industry has locked out employees or is in a strike.

5. Reconciliation

Making a significant additional investment in Indigenous housing in 2022. It will be up to First Nations, Inuit and Métis communities to determine how housing investments are designed and delivered.Accelerating the implementation of the Federal Pathway to Address Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ People with Indigenous partners.Creating a standing Federal-Provincial-Territorial table on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ People to facilitate and coordinate this work.Providing the necessary supports for First Nations, Inuit and Métis communities who wish to continue to undertake the work of burial searches at the former sites of residential schools.

6. A fairer tax system

Moving forward in the near term on tax changes on financial institutions who have made strong profits during the pandemic.Implementing a publicly accessible beneficial ownership registry by the end of 2023.

7. Making democracy work for people

Recognizing our shared commitment to maintaining the health of our democracy and the need to remove barriers to voting and participation, we will work with Elections Canada to explore ways to expand the ability for people to vote, such as:An expanded “Election Day” of three days of voting.Allowing people to vote at any polling place within their Electoral District.Improving the process of mail-in ballots to ensure that voters who choose this method of voting are not disenfranchised.We commit to ensuring that Quebec’s number of seats in the House of Commons remains constant.

የካናዳ ጠቅላይ ሚኒስትር

 Justin Trudeau

 አሁን ለካናዳውያን ማድረስ

 መጋቢት 22 ቀን 2022

 ኦታዋ፣ ኦንታሪዮ

 ዛሬ ጠቅላይ ሚኒስትር ጀስቲን ትሩዶ በካናዳ ሊበራል ፓርቲ እና በፓርላማ አዲስ ዴሞክራቲክ ፓርቲ ለካናዳውያን አሁኑ፣ የአቅርቦት እና የመተማመን ስምምነት የተደረሰበትን ስምምነት አስታውቀዋል።

 ካናዳውያን የአለም አቀፍ ወረርሽኝ ተግዳሮቶችን ለማሸነፍ ጠንክረው እየሰሩ ነው እና አሁን በዩክሬን ውስጥ በሩሲያ የወንጀል ጦርነት ምክንያት ደህንነቱ ያልተጠበቀ ዓለም አጋጥሟቸዋል።  ፈተናዎች ቢኖሩም፣ ካናዳውያን የተሻለ፣ የበለጠ የበለጸገ ወደፊት ለመገንባት ቆርጠዋል።  መራጮች ለዚህ ፓርላማ ግልፅ ስልጣን ሰጥተውታል እናም በዚህ አስፈላጊ ጊዜ አላስፈላጊ መዘግየቶችን መታገስ አይፈልጉም።  ቤተሰቦቻቸውን በአረንጓዴ ስራዎች እና በአየር ንብረት ርምጃዎች የሚደግፍ እያደገ ያለው ኢኮኖሚ መገንባት ይፈልጋሉ፣ የበለጠ የመኖሪያ ቤት እና የህጻናት እንክብካቤ አቅም እና ጠንካራ የጤና እንክብካቤ።  ፖለቲካ ተቃዋሚ ነው ተብሎ ይታሰባል፣ ነገር ግን የፖላራይዜሽን መጨመር እና የፓርላማ ብልሹነት እነዚህን ውጤቶች ለካናዳውያን ከማድረግ አንፃር ማንም የሚጠቅም የለም።

 በእነዚህ በጣም እርግጠኛ ባልሆኑ እና አስቸጋሪ ጊዜያት፣ ካናዳውያን ህይወታቸውን የተሻለ ለማድረግ እንድንተባበር እና እንድንሰራ እንድንችል ይጠብቁናል።  የካናዳ ሊበራል ፓርቲ እና የካናዳ አዲስ ዴሞክራቲክ ፓርቲ ለካናዳውያን ጥቅም ሲባል በሚቀጥሉት ሶስት አመታት ፖለቲካን የምንይዝበትን መንገድ ለማሻሻል ተስማምተዋል።  ፓርቲዎቹ ተመሳሳይ የመካከለኛ ጊዜ ውጤት ለማምጣት ፍላጎት ያላቸውን ቁልፍ የፖሊሲ ቦታዎችን ለይተዋል።  የካናዳውያንን ፍላጎት ለማስቀደም በዚህ ፓርላማ ወቅት አብረን ለመስራት ተስማምተናል።  ይህ ስራ የአየር ንብረት ቀውሱን የሚዋጉ አረንጓዴ ስራዎችን በመፍጠር፣የሰዎችን ህይወት በመኖሪያ ቤት እና በህጻን እንክብካቤ የበለጠ ተመጣጣኝ በማድረግ እና የጤና አጠባበቅን በማስፋት እና በመጠበቅ ኢኮኖሚያችንን በማሳደግ ላይ ያተኮረ ይሆናል።  ለዚህ ሥራ መሠረት ሆኖ ተዋዋይ ወገኖች ከተወላጆች ጋር ዕርቅን ማራመድ አስፈላጊ ነው.  ሁለቱም ወገኖች ወደዚህ ፓርላማ የበለጠ በትብብር በመቅረብ፣ ከመጪው ምርጫ በፊት እነዚህን የጋራ የፖሊሲ አላማዎች ማሳካት እንደምንችል ተስፋ ያደርጋሉ።

 ሁለቱም ወገኖች መንግስትን ተጠያቂ ለማድረግ በፓርላማው ሚና በጥብቅ ያምናሉ።  በዚህ ስምምነት ውስጥ ምንም ነገር ያንን ወሳኝ ተግባር አይጎዳውም.  ተዋዋይ ወገኖች ሁል ጊዜ አይስማሙም።  መንግስት ኤንዲፒ ሊቃወማቸው የሚችላቸውን አጀንዳዎቹን ይከተላል እና በዚህ ስምምነት ውስጥ የትኛውም አካል ያን ከማድረግ የሚያግደው አንዳችም ነገር የለም።  ሁለቱም ወገኖች በዚህ ስምምነት እና በሌሎች ዓላማዎች ላይ ቅድሚያ በሚሰጣቸው ጉዳዮች ላይ በፓርላማ ውስጥ ከሌሎች ወገኖች ጋር አብረው ለመስራት መፈለጋቸውን ይቀጥላሉ ።  ይህ ስምምነት የሁለቱንም ወገኖች ዋና እምነት ስለማበላሸት ወይም ልዩነታቸውን መካድ አይደለም።  እነዚያ ልዩነቶች ለእያንዳንዱ እና ለእያንዳንዱ ካናዳዊ ጥቅም ሲባል የጋራ ግቦችን ከማስረከብ እንቅፋት እንዳይሆኑ ማረጋገጥ ነው።

 ስለዚህ ተዋዋይ ወገኖች ለካናዳውያን አሁን ለማድረስ ተስማምተዋል፡ የአቅርቦት እና የመተማመን ስምምነት ከመጋቢት 22 ቀን 2022 ጀምሮ እስከ ሰኔ 2025 ፓርላማ እስከሚነሳ ድረስ የሚከተሉትን ለማሳካት፡-

 ለካናዳውያን የሚሰራ ፓርላማ

 ዝግጅቱ በጁን 2025 ፓርላማው እስኪነሳ ድረስ የሚቆይ ሲሆን በዚህ ጊዜ ውስጥ አራት በጀቶች በመንግስት እንዲቀርቡ ያስችላቸዋል።  በዚህ ዝግጅት ላይ ቅንጅትን ለማረጋገጥ ሁለቱም ወገኖች “ምንም የሚያስደንቅ ነገር የለም” የሚለውን መሪ መርሆ ተግባራዊ ያደርጋሉ።

 ስምምነቱ NDP መንግስትን በመተማመን እና በበጀት ጉዳዮች ለመደገፍ ተስማምቷል - በተለይም በበጀት ፖሊሲ ፣ በበጀት አፈፃፀም ሂሳቦች ፣ ግምቶች እና አቅርቦት - እና የሊበራል ፓርቲ በስምምነቱ ጊዜ ውስጥ ለማስተዳደር ወስኗል።  NDP በዝግጅቱ ጊዜ የመተማመንን ድምጽ አያንቀሳቅስም, ወይም በራስ የመተማመን ጥያቄን አይመርጥም.  ሌሎች የመንግስትን ስራ እንዳይሰሩ የሚከለክሉ ድምጾች በመንግስት እምነት ሊታወጁ ይችላሉ፣ በዚህ ጊዜ መንግስት ድምጽ በራስ መተማመን ከተረጋገጠ በተቻለ ፍጥነት ለኤንዲፒ ለማሳወቅ ቃል መግባቱን እና ኤንዲፒም የነሱን ድምጽ ለመንግስት ያሳውቃል።  በመተማመን ዙሪያ ውይይቶች እንዲካሄዱ በይፋ ከማወጁ በፊት።

 ኮሚቴዎችን በተመለከተ ሁለቱም ወገኖች የፓርላማውን የመመርመር አስፈላጊነት እና በኮሚቴዎች ውስጥ በፓርላማ አባላት የሚሰሩ ስራዎች ይስማማሉ.  ኮሚቴዎች አስፈላጊ ተግባራቸውን እንዲቀጥሉ ለማድረግ፣ ሁለቱም ወገኖች የመንግስትን የመሥራት አቅም ሊያደናቅፉ ወይም በኮሚቴዎች ውስጥ የሕግ ግምገማ፣ ጥናቶች እና የሥራ ዕቅዶች ላይ አላስፈላጊ እንቅፋት ሊፈጥሩ በሚችሉ ጉዳዮች ላይ ለመነጋገር ተስማምተዋል።

 ሁለቱም ወገኖች በትንሹ ቋሚ ስብሰባዎች ተስማምተዋል፡-

 መሪዎች በየሩብ ዓመቱ ቢያንስ አንድ ጊዜ ይሰበሰባሉ መደበኛ የምክር ቤት መሪ ስብሰባዎች መደበኛ የጅራፍ ስብሰባዎች በተቆጣጣሪ ቡድን ወርሃዊ የአክሲዮን ስብሰባዎችን ይወስዳሉ

 የቁጥጥር ቡድኑ አነስተኛ ቡድን ሰራተኞች እና ፖለቲከኞች ያካትታል.  ይህ ቡድን በቁልፍ ቃል ኪዳኖች እና በቀጣይ ጉዳዮች ላይ አጠቃላይ እድገትን ይወያያል።

 በጀት እና ህግን ጨምሮ በፖሊሲ ጉዳዮች ላይ በፐብሊክ ሰርቪሱ እና ሚኒስትሮች ከሚሰጡ ገለጻዎች በተጨማሪ መንግስት በሌሎች ጉዳዮች ላይ ለብአዴን ገለጻ ለማድረግ የመንግስት ሰራተኞች ዝግጁ መሆናቸውን ያረጋግጣል።  ገንቢ አስተያየት እና ውይይት ለማድረግ አጭር መግለጫዎች በጊዜው መደረግ አለባቸው።

 ሁለቱም ወገኖች የፓርላማ ክርክር አስፈላጊ እንደሆነ ይስማማሉ።  ሁለቱም ወገኖች አስፈላጊ ሆኖ ከተገኘ ተጨማሪ ተናጋሪዎችን ለመፍቀድ የሰአት ሰአቶችን በማራዘም በህዝብ ምክር ቤት በኩል ለማፋጠን የቅድሚያ ሂሳቦችን ለመለየት ተስማምተዋል።  ሁለቱም ወገኖች የሚስማሙበትን ህግ ለማውጣት NDP የተወሰኑ የፕሮግራም አወጣጥ እንቅስቃሴዎችን ይደግፋል።

 ስምምነቱ ፓርላማ ለካናዳውያን ፍላጎት መስራቱን ለማረጋገጥ ያገለግላል።

 ተዋዋይ ወገኖች በክትትል ቡድን በኩል ሌሎች ሊሆኑ የሚችሉ የጋራ ቅድሚያዎች ላይ መስራታቸውን በመቀጠል ለሚከተሉት ተግባራት ቅድሚያ ለመስጠት ተስማምተዋል።

 1. የተሻለ የጤና አጠባበቅ ሥርዓት

 ዝቅተኛ ገቢ ላላቸው ካናዳውያን አዲስ የጥርስ ሕክምና ፕሮግራም መጀመር።  እ.ኤ.አ. በ2022 ከ12 ዓመት በታች በሆኑ ልጆች ይጀምራል፣ ከዚያም በ2023 ከ18 ዓመት በታች ለሆኑ፣ አዛውንቶች እና አካል ጉዳተኞች ይደርሳል፣ ከዚያም በ2025 ሙሉ በሙሉ ተግባራዊ ይሆናል።  በዓመት 90,000 ዶላር፣ በዓመት ከ70,000 ዶላር በታች ላለው ሰው ምንም አይነት የጋራ ክፍያ ሳይከፍል በ2023 መጨረሻ የካናዳ ፋርማሲኬር ህግን በማፅደቅ ወደ ሁለንተናዊ ብሔራዊ የመድኃኒት እንክብካቤ ፕሮግራም መሻሻል እና በመቀጠል ብሔራዊ የመድኃኒት ኤጀንሲን አስፈላጊ የሆኑ መድኃኒቶችን ብሔራዊ ፎርሙላሪ እንዲያዘጋጅ ኃላፊነት መስጠት  እና የጅምላ ግዢ እቅድ በስምምነቱ መጨረሻ.  በኮቪድ ምክንያት የጤና ስርአቶች የተዘረጉ መሆናቸውን በመገንዘብ፣ እነዚህን ጫናዎች ለመፍታት ተጨማሪ ቀጣይነት ያላቸው ኢንቨስትመንቶች በቅርብ ጊዜ ውስጥ እንደሚያስፈልግ ተገንዝበዋል።  የመጀመሪያ ደረጃ ተንከባካቢ ዶክተሮችን እና ነርሶችን፣ የአእምሮ ጤና ድጋፍን፣ በቤት ውስጥ እርጅናን እና የተሻለ መረጃን ጨምሮ ለካናዳውያን የተሻለ የጤና ውጤቶችን እንዴት ማድረስ እንደምንችል ከክልሎች እና ግዛቶች ጋር አብረን እንሰራለን።  የትም ቢኖሩ አረጋውያን ለሚገባቸው እንክብካቤ ዋስትና መያዛቸውን ያረጋግጡ።

 2. ለሰዎች ህይወት የበለጠ ተመጣጣኝ ማድረግ

 የፈጣን መኖሪያ ቤት ተነሳሽነትን ለተጨማሪ አንድ አመት ማራዘም።የኪራይ ኮንስትራክሽን ፋይናንሲንግ ኢኒሼቲቭ በተመጣጣኝ ዋጋ ባላቸው ክፍሎች (ከ80% AMR በታች) ላይ እንደገና ማተኮር እና 80% AMR ወይም ከዚያ በታች ለተመጣጣኝ መኖሪያ ቤት ፍቺ ተጠቀም።የቤቶች አፋጣኝ ፈንድ በማቋቋም ላይ።  የቤት ገዢን ህግን መተግበር እና በ2023 መገባደጃ ላይ የቤቶች ገበያን ፋይናንሺያል መፍታት በ2022 ለካናዳ የመኖሪያ ቤት ጥቅማጥቅም 500 ዶላር የአንድ ጊዜ ክፍያን ጨምሮ ይህም የኑሮ ውድነት ከቀጠለ በሚቀጥሉት አመታት ይታደሳል።  በ2022 መገባደጃ ላይ የቅድመ ትምህርት እና የሕፃናት እንክብካቤ ህግን ማስተዋወቅ፣ የሕጻናት እንክብካቤ ስምምነቶች ለትርፍ ያልተቋቋሙ እና ህዝባዊ ቦታዎች ቅድሚያ የሚሰጥ የረዥም ጊዜ ጥበቃ የሚደረግላቸው የገንዘብ ድጋፍ ከፍተኛ ጥራት ያለው እና ተመጣጣኝ ዋጋ ያለው የልጅ እንክብካቤ ዕድሎችን ለቤተሰቦች ለማቅረብ።

 3. የአየር ንብረት ቀውሱን መፍታት እና ጥሩ ክፍያ የሚያስገኙ ስራዎችን መፍጠር

 ከ2005 ደረጃዎች ጋር ሲነጻጸር በ2030 ጉልህ የሆነ የልቀት ቅነሳን ለማሳካት እርምጃዎችን ማሳደግ።  ከ 2050 ባልበለጠ ጊዜ ውስጥ የተጣራ ዜሮ ልቀትን ለማሳካት አቅጣጫውን የበለጠ ለማፋጠን የሚረዱ መንገዶችን በመለየት በ 2022 ወደፊት በመንቀሳቀስ የሰራተኞችን ማቆየት ፣ እንደገና ማሰማራት እና ስልጠናን ለመደገፍ የንፁህ ስራዎች ማሰልጠኛ ማእከል መፍጠር ። በፍትሃዊ የሽግግር ህግ ፣ እየተመራ ነው ።  ከሰራተኞች፣ ማህበራት፣ ተወላጆች፣ ማህበረሰቦች፣ እና አውራጃዎች እና ግዛቶች በሚሰጠን አስተያየት ከክራውን ኮርፖሬሽኖች፣ በ2022 ቀደምት እንቅስቃሴዎችን ጨምሮ፣ ከቅሪተ አካላት እና ከግዛቶች እና ግዛቶች የህዝብ ፋይናንስን ለማስቀረት እቅድ በማውጣት ላይ።  ዝቅተኛ ገቢ ያላቸው እና ባለብዙ ክፍል የመኖሪያ አፓርተማዎችን ጨምሮ በርካታ ዥረቶችን ለመደገፍ መዋዕለ ንዋይ በማፍሰስ ለካናዳውያን የሃይል አቅርቦትን የሚያሻሽሉ እና ልቀትን የሚቀንሱ የቤት ኢነርጂ ውጤታማነት ፕሮግራሞች ላይ።  በተጨማሪም ይህ የገንዘብ ድጋፍ ሥራዎቹ በካናዳ ውስጥ እንዲቆዩ እና እነዚህን ጠቃሚ የኢነርጂ ቆጣቢ ምርቶችን ወደ ዓለም የመላክ ችሎታን ለመፍጠር ለዚህ ሥራ የካናዳ አቅርቦት ሰንሰለት ለመፍጠር ድጋፍን እንደሚያካትት እናረጋግጣለን።

 4. ለሠራተኞች የተሻለ ስምምነት

 ለሁሉም በፌዴራል ቁጥጥር ስር ያሉ ሰራተኞች የ 10 ቀናት የሚከፈለው የሕመም እረፍት በተቻለ ፍጥነት በ 2022 መጀመሩን ማረጋገጥ በ 2023 መጨረሻ ላይ ተተኪ ሰራተኞችን መጠቀምን የሚከለክል ህግን በማስተዋወቅ በፌዴራል ቁጥጥር ስር ባለው ኢንዱስትሪ ውስጥ የሰራተኛ ማህበር ቀጣሪ  ሰራተኞችን ቆልፏል ወይም አድማ ላይ ነው።

 5. እርቅ

 በ2022 በአገሬው ተወላጅ ቤቶች ላይ ጉልህ የሆነ ተጨማሪ መዋዕለ ንዋይ ማፍሰሱ። የመኖሪያ ቤት ኢንቨስትመንቶች እንዴት እንደሚነደፉ እና እንደሚሰጡ ለመወሰን እስከ አንደኛ መንግስታት፣ኢኑይት እና ሜቲስ ማህበረሰቦች ድረስ ይሆናል።የጠፉ እና የተገደሉ የአገሬው ተወላጆች ሴቶችን፣ ልጃገረዶችን እና ልጃገረዶችን ለመፍታት የፌዴራል መንገድ ትግበራን በማፋጠን ላይ።  2SLGBTQQIA+ ሰዎች ከአገሬው ተወላጅ አጋሮች ጋር.ይህንን ስራ ለማመቻቸት እና ለማስተባበር የጠፉ እና የተገደሉ ሴቶች፣ ልጃገረዶች እና 2SGBBTQQIA+ ላይ የቆመ የፌደራል-የክልላዊ-ግዛት ጠረጴዛ መፍጠር።ለመቀጠል ለሚፈልጉ የመጀመሪያ መንግስታት፣ኢኑይት እና ሜቲስ ማህበረሰቦች አስፈላጊውን ድጋፍ መስጠት።  በቀድሞ የመኖሪያ ትምህርት ቤቶች የመቃብር ፍለጋ ሥራዎችን ማከናወን ።

 6. ፍትሃዊ የግብር ስርዓት

 ወረርሽኙ በተከሰተበት ወቅት ጠንካራ ትርፍ ባገኙ የፋይናንስ ተቋማት ላይ የግብር ለውጦችን በቅርብ ጊዜ ውስጥ ወደፊት መጓዝ። በ2023 መገባደጃ ላይ ለህዝብ ተደራሽ የሆነ ጠቃሚ የባለቤትነት መዝገብ በመተግበር ላይ።

 7. ዲሞክራሲን ለሰዎች እንዲሰራ ማድረግ

 የዴሞክራሲያችንን ጤና ለመጠበቅ ያለንን የጋራ ቁርጠኝነት በመገንዘብ የድምጽ መስጫ እና የተሳትፎ እንቅፋቶችን ለማስወገድ ከካናዳ ምርጫ ጋር አብረን እንሰራለን ሰዎች የመምረጥ አቅምን ለማስፋት የሚረዱ መንገዶችን ለምሳሌ፡- የተስፋፋ “የምርጫ ቀን”  የሶስት ቀን ድምጽ።ሰዎች በምርጫ ክልላቸው ውስጥ በማንኛውም የምርጫ ቦታ እንዲመርጡ መፍቀድ።ይህንን የምርጫ ዘዴ የመረጡ መራጮች መብታቸውን እንዳይከለከሉ ለማድረግ የፖስታ መልእክት ሂደትን ማሻሻል።  የሕዝብ ምክር ቤት ቋሚ ነው.

Can Washington successfully pressure Beijing to join multilateral peace efforts?

Despite High Stakes in Ethiopia, China Sits on the Sidelines of Peace Efforts

Can Washington successfully pressure Beijing to join multilateral peace efforts?

Wednesday, January 19, 2022/ 

BY: Joseph Sany, Ph.D.;  Thomas P. Sheehy

PUBLICATION TYPE: 

Analysis and Commentary

Since November of 2020, Ethiopia has been suffering from a deadly internal conflict that has claimed an estimated 50,000 lives and displaced over two million. The United States, the African Union and others in the region have attempted to secure a cease-fire between the federal government and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) but have made little headway. In contrast, China has remained mainly on the sidelines of peacebuilding efforts even though Ethiopia — the second most populous country in Africa — is a centerpiece of its Africa policy. 

The scale and pace of the crisis now requires international cooperation, not competition. The political and financial burden of delivering a solution cannot be borne by any one country alone. Washington should, as a priority, explore how Beijing might join a coordinated international effort to back an African diplomatic push for a sustained settlement of the Ethiopian crisis before its humanitarian crisis worsens and further destabilizes the region. China may instead take satisfaction in the perceived failure of U.S. diplomatic efforts and the growing tension between Washington and Addis Ababa — but such a posture threatens China’s considerable investment in Ethiopia and risks alienating Africans who resent great power rivalries playing out in their countries.            

Ethiopia’s Profound Crisis

Upon taking office in 2018, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed liberalized the authoritarian Ethiopian government that the TPLF had dominated since 1991. His actions included lifting a ban on political parties and freeing political prisoners. Abiy was also awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2019 for his efforts to end the protracted conflict between Ethiopia and neighboring Eritrea. Despite these positive developments, the Abiy government was met with criticism for centralizing power at the expense of Tigray and other regions. Long-standing regional and ethnic divisions — that Abiy’s reforms allowed greater expression for — were intensified by a postponement of the 2020 national elections amid COVID-19.

Tensions had been building in recent years, with the Abiy government seeing the TPLF as pushing for greater regional autonomy — if not independence — and the Tigrayans charging the Abiy government with politically marginalizing the province, which no longer enjoyed the spoils of power. The Tigrayans defied Abiy’s election delay and held regional polls in September 2020. Two months later, large-scale fighting erupted between the Ethiopian federal military and the Tigray Defense Forces (TDF) when Tigrayan fighters struck a federal military base in an act they claimed was preemptive.

Today, the government and TPLF are dug in and shunning dialogue — with dire humanitarian consequences. The TPLF has allied with other anti-government groups, including the Oromo Liberation Army, though recent military setbacks have led it to call for a cease-fire. A federal government blockade has prevented food and medicine from reaching Tigray, jeopardizing lives. Horrific human rights abuses are commonplace, some of which “may amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity,” according to the United Nations. The U.N. Security Council has called for a cease-fire, while the African Union has enlisted former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo to broker talks. Yet so far, little diplomatic progress has been made.

China’s Deep Ties

Ethiopia is a central hub for China’s Belt and Road Initiative, an evolving program to expand Chinese influence by financing and building infrastructure throughout the developing world.  Currently, there are about 400 Chinese construction and manufacturing projects in Ethiopia, valued at over $4 billion. Much of Ethiopia’s air, road and rail infrastructure is financed and built by the Chinese.

This strong Chinese economic engagement has resulted in Beijing becoming Ethiopia’s top trading partner. Before COVID-19, the Ethiopian economy had been impressively growing at 10 percent for over a decade, affirming China’s high standing as a development partner. However, concerns exist about the sustainability of Ethiopia’s estimated $13.7 billion of Chinese debt, second only to Angola’s in Africa. This debt liability further heightens China’s stake in Ethiopia.     

Political ties between the two countries are strong as well. Ethiopia was the first African country to host a Forum on China-Africa Cooperation meeting, held in 2003. In 2012, China funded and built the $200 million African Union headquarters in Addis Ababa. Meanwhile, Chinese media have expanded their presence in Ethiopia. 

China and Ethiopia have also built upon a 2005 defense agreement on joint training, technology exchange and peacekeeping operations. Ethiopian officers have trained in China. While most of its heavy weapons are Russian or Ukrainian made, the Ethiopian military has recently procured Chinese artillery and transport vehicles. Moreover, government forces are believed to be using Chinese-supplied drones. Chinese economic, political and security efforts appear to have paid off, with Abiy describing China as “the most reliable friend and the most cherished partner of Ethiopia.”     

China’s Dilemma: Backing the Government, Calling for Non-Interference

In keeping with its long-standing claim of “non-interference,” Beijing has resisted aggressive international engagement in Ethiopia. Its ambassador to the United Nations said in November 2021 that “solutions can only be found from within,” reiterating “support for African solutions to solve African problems,” including by regional countries and organizations. Ambassador Zhang Jun cautioned the U.N. Security Council “to provide necessary time and space to the African Union to carry out such efforts,” while noting that humanitarian relief efforts must respect Ethiopia’s “sovereignty and leadership,” a position China has stressed since the conflict began. The Chinese emissary also spoke out against imposing economic sanctions against Ethiopia. 

China undoubtedly is keeping close watch on the spreading insecurity, with an estimated 30,000 Chinese nationals in Ethiopia. With its major Ethiopian investment portfolio now on pause, partly because of the conflict, China’s belief that “without security and stability, there can be no development” is being validated. But how to contribute to security and stability without interference in a complex political and ethnic context is becoming a challenging dilemma for China.

Despite the escalating violence, the U.N. Security Council has been slow in addressing this crisis, largely because of China’s traditional sovereignty concerns. Ethiopia has welcomed Beijing’s position, with its foreign ministry recently commending China for recognizing that “external power involvement in the Ethiopian government operation in Tigray is unnecessary since Ethiopia is capable of solving its own problems.”  

U.S. diplomatic efforts, however, have irritated Ethiopia. The U.S. special envoy for the Horn of Africa recently said the Biden administration is “work[ing] tirelessly to keep this crisis on the international agenda,” including at the United Nations. In response to the Abiy government’s “gross violations of internationally recognized human rights” in Tigray, the United States recently withdrew trade benefits that Ethiopia desired to maintain and U.S. sanctions targeting complicit Ethiopian government officials have been authorized. Abiy refused to meet with USAID Administrator Samantha Power during her recent visit to Ethiopia to address the humanitarian crisis in Tigray, a sign that strains in the U.S.- Ethiopia relationship are growing as this crisis intensifies.      

Strategic Rivalry or Diplomacy?

There is the potential for the United States to strategically fail in Ethiopia. Until the recent strains, and despite China’s growing imprint on the country, the United States and Ethiopia have long been close economic and security partners. And while Washington hasn’t led diplomatic efforts to resolve this crisis, it has been a significant player. As relations between Ethiopia and the United States continue to fray, with Ethiopia likely turning to China for greater support, Beijing can be expected to feel that it is scoring points in its strategic rivalry with the United States. 

A 2020 USIP report on China’s engagement in the Red Sea region found that, “Although instability has benefitted China in some ways by feeding a narrative of U.S. strategic failure, Beijing has a greater interest in a stable region free of failed states.” However, it also concluded that “short of situations in which Chinese economic or security interests are severely threatened … Beijing is unlikely to use its influence to prevent regional rivalries from exacerbating conflicts in the arena.” Instead, Beijing would practice a policy of “detachment.”       

But China arguably has more at stake in Ethiopia than in any other country in Africa. Ethiopia is on a path that would certainly damage substantial Chinese economic interests both within the country and beyond its borders. Some have suggested that China will continue making every effort to support the Abiy government, including by defending Addis Ababa’s sovereignty in the face of human rights abuse charges. Could Beijing be pressured to go beyond its relative detachment to play a positive diplomatic role?

All Powers and Players Are Needed for Peace

U.S. diplomacy is struggling for a reason. Were China to pivot to active diplomacy by engaging with the TPLF, or even use political capital to pressure the Abiy government, it would find a very challenging task ahead. Growing violence, including against civilians, is worsening Ethiopia’s deep ethnic and regional divisions. U.S. concerns over growing Chinese influence in Africa rightly touch upon key issues of governance, human rights and economic and strategic competition. But while Chinese influence in Africa has expanded significantly over the last two decades, it has its limits. Despite its considerable investments, China acting alone is powerless to stop the forces of disunity and violence that gravely threaten Ethiopia. 

Forging peace in Ethiopia will require the negotiation and implementation of new political arrangements that strike a workable regional power balance. This is mainly for Ethiopians to decide — but outside parties could incentivize the compromises needed for peace. There is now an opportunity to shift course and consolidate an international approach. Prime Minister Abiy has indicated a willingness to support dialogue and has released some key — but not all — political prisoners. The Tigrayan government has announced the withdrawal of its forces back to Tigray and has called for negotiations. The international community — everyone, not just the West — surely acknowledges that Ethiopia’s economic sustainability is key to regional stability and the survival of Ethiopia as a sovereign entity. A concerted effort by external stakeholders, including China, is crucial at this time.

The Biden administration should recognize China’s economic vulnerability and stake in stability in Ethiopia as it implements its diplomatic efforts. The United States should aim to forge African Union pressure on China to encourage the Abiy government, now with the military upper hand, to pursue meaningful negotiations and a peaceful resolution to the conflict. Chinese efforts could come behind the scenes so as not to spoil Beijing’s “non-interference” posture.   

It is possible, even likely, that Beijing is uninterested in constructive, African-led diplomacy in Ethiopia and would rather position itself to see diplomatic efforts fail, maybe picking up some pieces from U.S. economic disengagement. But if Beijing won’t constructively engage in Ethiopia, given its high stakes there, where would they work for peace in Africa? Every day of conflict sees many Ethiopian lives tragically lost — will Beijing be part of an African solution or allow an African crisis to continue?

USIP.

ዋሽንግተን ቤጂንግ የባለብዙ ወገን የሰላም ጥረቶችን እንድትቀላቀል በተሳካ ሁኔታ መጫን ትችላለች? ረቡዕ ጥር 19 ቀን 2022/ በ: ጆሴፍ ሳን, ፒኤች.ዲ.; ቶማስ ፒ. ሺሂ

ኢትዮጵያ ውስጥ ከፍተኛ ድርሻ ቢኖራትም ቻይና ከሰላም ጥረት ጎን ተቀምጣለች።

 ዋሽንግተን ቤጂንግ የባለብዙ ወገን የሰላም ጥረቶችን እንድትቀላቀል በተሳካ ሁኔታ መጫን ትችላለች?

 ረቡዕ ጥር 19 ቀን 2022/

 በ: ጆሴፍ ሳን, ፒኤች.ዲ.;  ቶማስ ፒ. ሺሂ

 የህትመት አይነት፡-

 ትንታኔ እና አስተያየት

 እ.ኤ.አ. ከህዳር 2020 ጀምሮ ኢትዮጵያ ወደ 50,000 የሚገመቱ ሰዎች ህይወት የቀጠፈ እና ከሁለት ሚሊዮን በላይ የሚገመተውን መፈናቀልን ባደረገ ገዳይ የውስጥ ግጭት ስትሰቃይ ቆይታለች።  ዩናይትድ ስቴትስ፣ የአፍሪካ ህብረት እና ሌሎች በክልሉ የሚገኙ በፌዴራል መንግስት እና በህዝባዊ ወያነ ሓርነት ትግራይ (ህወሀት) መካከል የተኩስ አቁም ስምምነት ለማድረግ ቢሞክሩም ብዙም ርቀት አልሄዱም።  በአንፃሩ ቻይና ከሰላም ግንባታው ጎን ሆና ቆይታለች ምንም እንኳን በአፍሪካ በሕዝብ ብዛት ሁለተኛ የሆነችው ኢትዮጵያ የአፍሪካ ፖሊሲዋ ማዕከል ብትሆንም።

 የቀውሱ መጠንና ፍጥነት ዓለም አቀፍ ትብብርን እንጂ ፉክክርን አይፈልግም።  የመፍትሄ ሃሳቦችን የማቅረብ ፖለቲካዊ እና ፋይናንሺያል ሸክም በአንድ ሀገር ብቻ ሊሸከም አይችልም።  ዋሽንግተን እንደ ቅድሚያ ቤጂንግ የአፍሪካ ዲፕሎማሲያዊ ግፊትን በመደገፍ የኢትዮጵያን ችግር በዘላቂነት ለመፍታት የምታደርገውን ጥረት ሰብዓዊ ቀውሱ ተባብሶ ቀጣናውን የበለጠ አለመረጋጋትን ከማስከተሉ በፊት እንዴት ልትቀላቀል እንደምትችል ማሰስ አለባት።  ቻይና በምትኩ የዩኤስ ዲፕሎማሲያዊ ጥረቶች ውድቀት እና በዋሽንግተን እና በአዲስ አበባ መካከል ያለው ውጥረት እየጨመረ በመምጣቱ እርካታ ሊወስድ ይችላል - ነገር ግን እንዲህ ዓይነቱ አቀማመጥ ቻይና በኢትዮጵያ ውስጥ የምታደርገውን ከፍተኛ ኢንቨስትመንት ስጋት ላይ ይጥላል እና በአገራቸው ውስጥ ታላቅ የስልጣን ፉክክር የሚቃወሙትን አፍሪካውያንን ያጋጫል።

 የኢትዮጵያ ጥልቅ ቀውስ

 እ.ኤ.አ. በ2018 ጠቅላይ ሚኒስትር አብይ አህመድ በህወሓት የበላይነት ይመራ የነበረውን የኢትዮጵያ መንግስት ነፃ አውጥተው ነፃ አውጥተው ነበር ።እርምጃዎቹ በፖለቲካ ፓርቲዎች ላይ የተጣለውን እገዳ ማንሳት እና የፖለቲካ እስረኞችን መፍታት ይገኙበታል።  አቢይ በ2019 የኖቤል የሰላም ሽልማት የተሸለመው በኢትዮጵያ እና በጎረቤት ኤርትራ መካከል ያለውን የተራዘመ ግጭት ለማስቆም ባደረጉት ጥረት ነው።  እነዚህ አወንታዊ ለውጦች ቢኖሩም የአብይ መንግስት ትግራይን እና ሌሎች ክልሎችን በማውጣት ስልጣኑን ያማከለ ነው በሚል ወቀሳ ደርሶበታል።  የረዥም ጊዜ የክልሎች እና የጎሳ ክፍፍሎች - የአብይ ማሻሻያዎች የበለጠ መግለጫዎችን የሚፈቅዱ - በ 2020 ብሔራዊ ምርጫ በ COVID-19 መካከል መራዘሙ ተባብሷል ።

 ከቅርብ አመታት ወዲህ ውጥረቱ እየገነነ የመጣ ሲሆን የአብይ መንግስት ህወሀትን እንደ ትልቅ ክልላዊ የራስ ገዝ አስተዳደር ሲመለከት - ነጻ ካልሆነ - እና የትግራይ ተወላጆች የአብይ መንግስትን ግዛቱን በፖለቲካ ማግለል ሲከሰሱ ይህም የስልጣን ምርኮውን አያገኝም።  የትግራይ ተወላጆች የአብይን ምርጫ መዘግየት በመቃወም በሴፕቴምበር 2020 የክልል ምርጫዎችን አካሂደዋል።ከሁለት ወራት በኋላ በኢትዮጵያ ፌደራል ወታደራዊ ሃይል እና በትግራይ መከላከያ ሰራዊት መካከል መጠነ ሰፊ ጦርነት ተካሂዶ የትግራይ ተወላጆች የፌደራል ወታደራዊ ካምፕን በመምታታቸው ነው ብለው በወሰዱት እርምጃ።  ቅድመ ሁኔታ.

 ዛሬ መንግስትና ህወሓት ተቆፍረዋል እና ውይይትን እየሸሸጉ ነው - አስከፊ ሰብአዊ መዘዞት።  ህወሀት የኦሮሞ ነጻነት ሰራዊትን ጨምሮ ከሌሎች ፀረ-መንግስት ቡድኖች ጋር ተባብሯል፣ ምንም እንኳን ከቅርብ ጊዜ ወዲህ ያጋጠመው ወታደራዊ ውድቀት የተኩስ አቁም ጥሪ እንዲያቀርብ አድርጎታል።  የፌደራል መንግስት በወሰደው እርምጃ ምግብና መድሀኒት ወደ ትግራይ እንዳይደርስ በመከልከሉ ህይወትን አደጋ ላይ ጥሏል።  የተባበሩት መንግስታት ድርጅት እንደገለጸው ዘግናኝ የሰብአዊ መብት ረገጣዎች የተለመዱ ናቸው፤ ከእነዚህም ውስጥ አንዳንዶቹ “የጦርነት ወንጀል እና በሰብአዊነት ላይ የተፈጸሙ ወንጀሎች ሊሆኑ ይችላሉ።  የተባበሩት መንግስታት የፀጥታው ምክር ቤት የተኩስ አቁም ጥሪ ሲያቀርብ፣ የአፍሪካ ህብረት ደግሞ የቀድሞ የናይጄሪያን ፕሬዝዳንት ኦሉሴጉን ኦባሳንጆን ድርድር እንዲያደርጉ መጥራቱ ይታወሳል።  እስካሁን ድረስ ትንሽ ዲፕሎማሲያዊ እድገት አልተገኘም።

 የቻይና ጥልቅ ትስስር

 ኢትዮጵያ የቻይና ቤልት ኤንድ ሮድ ኢኒሼቲቭ ማዕከላዊ ማዕከል ነች፣ የቻይናን ተፅእኖ በገንዘብ በመደገፍ እና በመሠረተ ልማት ግንባታ ለማስፋፋት በማደግ ላይ ያለ ፕሮግራም።  በአሁኑ ወቅት በኢትዮጵያ ከ4 ቢሊዮን ዶላር በላይ ዋጋ ያላቸው 400 የሚጠጉ የቻይና የግንባታ እና የማምረቻ ፕሮጀክቶች አሉ።  አብዛኛው የኢትዮጵያ አየር፣መንገድ እና የባቡር መሠረተ ልማት በቻይናውያን የሚሸፈን እና የሚገነባ ነው።

 ይህ ጠንካራ የቻይና ኢኮኖሚያዊ ተሳትፎ ቤጂንግ የኢትዮጵያ ከፍተኛ የንግድ አጋር እንድትሆን አድርጓታል።  ከኮቪድ-19 በፊት፣ የኢትዮጵያ ኢኮኖሚ በአስደናቂ ሁኔታ በ10 በመቶ እያደገ ከአስር አመታት በላይ ያስቆጠረ ሲሆን ይህም ቻይና በልማት አጋርነት ያላትን ከፍተኛ አቋም አረጋግጧል።  ነገር ግን የኢትዮጵያ 13.7 ቢሊዮን ዶላር የሚገመተው የቻይና ዕዳ ዘላቂነት ላይ ስጋት አለ፣ ከአፍሪካ ከአንጎላ ቀጥሎ ሁለተኛ።  ይህ የዕዳ ተጠያቂነት ቻይና በኢትዮጵያ ያላትን ድርሻ የበለጠ ከፍ ያደርገዋል።

 በሁለቱ ሀገራት መካከል ያለው ፖለቲካዊ ግንኙነትም ጠንካራ ነው።  እ.ኤ.አ. በ2003 የተካሄደውን የቻይና አፍሪካ የትብብር መድረክን በማዘጋጀት የመጀመሪያዋ አፍሪካዊት ሀገር ነች። በ2012 ቻይና በ200 ሚሊዮን ዶላር የአፍሪካ ህብረት ዋና መስሪያ ቤት በአዲስ አበባ ገነባች።  ይህ በእንዲህ እንዳለ የቻይና መገናኛ ብዙሀን በኢትዮጵያ ያላቸውን ቆይታ አስፋፍተዋል።

 ቻይና እና ኢትዮጵያ በ2005 በጋራ የስልጠና፣ የቴክኖሎጂ ልውውጥ እና የሰላም ማስከበር ስራዎች ላይ የተደረሰውን የመከላከያ ስምምነት መገንባታቸው ይታወሳል።  ኢትዮጵያውያን መኮንኖች በቻይና ሰልጥነዋል።  አብዛኛው ከባድ የጦር መሳሪያዎቹ ሩሲያዊ ወይም ዩክሬን ሲሆኑ፣ የኢትዮጵያ ጦር በቅርቡ የቻይና መድፍ እና ማጓጓዣ ተሽከርካሪዎችን ገዝቷል።  ከዚህም በላይ የመንግስት ሃይሎች በቻይና የቀረቡ ሰው አልባ አውሮፕላኖችን እንደሚጠቀሙ ተሰምቷል።  የቻይና የኢኮኖሚ፣ የፖለቲካ እና የጸጥታ ጥረቶች ውጤት ያመጡ ይመስላል፤ አብይ ቻይናን “በጣም ታማኝ ወዳጅ እና እጅግ የምትወደድ የኢትዮጵያ አጋር” ሲል ገልጿል።

 የቻይና አጣብቂኝ፡ መንግሥትን መደገፍ፣ ጣልቃ አለመግባት መጥራት

 ቤጂንግ ለረጅም ጊዜ ሲዘልቅ የቆየውን “ጣልቃ አልገባም” የሚለውን አባባል በመከተል በኢትዮጵያ ውስጥ ያለውን ጠብ አጫሪ ዓለም አቀፍ ተሳትፎ ተቋቁማለች።  በተባበሩት መንግስታት ድርጅት አምባሳደሯ በህዳር 2021 “መፍትሄዎች የሚገኘው ከውስጥ ብቻ ነው” ሲሉ የክልላዊ ሀገራትን እና ድርጅቶችን ጨምሮ “የአፍሪካን ችግሮች ለመፍታት ለአፍሪካ መፍትሄዎች ድጋፍ” ደጋግመው ተናግረዋል ።  አምባሳደር ዣንግ ጁን የተባበሩት መንግስታት ድርጅት የፀጥታው ምክር ቤት “ለአፍሪካ ህብረት አስፈላጊውን ጊዜና ቦታ እንዲሰጥ” ሲያስጠነቅቁ የሰብአዊ እርዳታ ስራዎች የኢትዮጵያን “ሉዓላዊነት እና አመራር” ማክበር አለባቸው ሲሉ ቻይና አፅንዖት ሰጥታለች ግጭቱ ከጀመረበት ጊዜ አንስቶ  .  የቻይናው ተላላኪም በኢትዮጵያ ላይ የኢኮኖሚ ማዕቀብ መጣሉን ተናግሯል።

 ቻይና ያለምንም ጥርጥር እየተስፋፋ ያለውን የጸጥታ ችግር በቅርበት እየተከታተለች ሲሆን፥ በግምት 30,000 የሚሆኑ የቻይና ዜጎች በኢትዮጵያ ይገኛሉ።  ዋናው የኢትዮጵያ የኢንቨስትመንት ፖርትፎሊዮ አሁን ባለበት በቆመበት፣ በከፊል በግጭቱ ምክንያት፣ ቻይና “ያለ ደኅንነት እና መረጋጋት ልማት የለም” የሚል እምነት እየተረጋገጠ ነው።  ነገር ግን ውስብስብ በሆነ የፖለቲካ እና የጎሳ አውድ ውስጥ ጣልቃ ሳይገባ ለደህንነት እና መረጋጋት አስተዋፅኦ ማድረግ ለቻይና ፈታኝ ችግር እየሆነ መጥቷል።

 ብጥብጡ እየተባባሰ ቢመጣም የዩኤን የፀጥታው ምክር ቤት ይህንን ችግር ለመፍታት ቀርፋፋ ነው፣በዋነኛነት በቻይና ባህላዊ የሉዓላዊነት ስጋቶች።  ኢትዮጵያ የቤጂንግን አቋም በደስታ ተቀበለች፣ የውጭ ጉዳይ ሚኒስቴሩ ቻይና በቅርቡ “ኢትዮጵያ የራሷን ችግሮች መፍታት ስለምትችል በኢትዮጵያ መንግስት እንቅስቃሴ ውስጥ የውጭ ሃይል ተሳትፎ አስፈላጊ እንዳልሆነ” በመገንዘቧ አመስግኗል።

 የአሜሪካ ዲፕሎማሲያዊ ጥረት ግን ኢትዮጵያን አበሳጭቷታል።  የዩናይትድ ስቴትስ የአፍሪካ ቀንድ ልዩ መልዕክተኛ የቢደን አስተዳደር የተባበሩት መንግስታት ድርጅትን ጨምሮ “ይህን ቀውስ በአለምአቀፍ አጀንዳ ለማስቀጠል ሳትታክት እየሰራ ነው” ብለዋል።  የአብይ መንግስት በትግራይ ለሚፈጽመው "ዓለም አቀፍ እውቅና ያለው ከፍተኛ የሰብአዊ መብት ጥሰት" ምላሽ ለመስጠት፣ ዩናይትድ ስቴትስ በቅርቡ ኢትዮጵያ ለማቆየት የምትፈልገውን የንግድ ጥቅማጥቅሞችን በማውጣት እና ተባባሪ በሆኑ የኢትዮጵያ መንግስት ባለስልጣናት ላይ ያነጣጠረ የአሜሪካ ማዕቀብ ተፈቅዶለታል።  ዶ/ር አብይ በትግራይ ያለውን ሰብአዊ ቀውስ ለመፍታት በቅርቡ ወደ ኢትዮጵያ ባደረጉት ጉብኝት ከዩኤስኤአይዲ አስተዳዳሪ ሳማንታ ፓወር ጋር ለመገናኘት ፈቃደኛ አልሆኑም ።ይህ ቀውስ እየጨመረ በመምጣቱ በአሜሪካ እና በኢትዮጵያ ግንኙነት ላይ ውጥረት እየጨመረ መምጣቱን ያሳያል ።

 ስትራተጂያዊ ፉክክር ወይስ ዲፕሎማሲ?

 ዩናይትድ ስቴትስ ኢትዮጵያ ውስጥ ስትራቴጅያዊ ውድቀት ልትፈጥር የምትችልበት ዕድል አለ።  እስከቅርብ ጊዜዎቹ ችግሮች፣ እና ቻይና በሀገሪቱ ላይ እያደገች ያለች ቢሆንም፣ ዩናይትድ ስቴትስ እና ኢትዮጵያ የረጅም ጊዜ የኢኮኖሚ እና የጸጥታ አጋሮች ናቸው።  እና ዋሽንግተን ይህን ቀውስ ለመፍታት ዲፕሎማሲያዊ ጥረቶችን ባይመራም, ጉልህ ተጫዋች ነበር.  የኢትዮጵያ እና የዩናይትድ ስቴትስ ግንኙነት እየሻከረ ባለበት በአሁኑ ወቅት ኢትዮጵያ ለበለጠ ድጋፍ ወደ ቻይና ዞር ብላ እንደምትቀጥል ቤጂንግ ከአሜሪካ ጋር ባላት ስልታዊ ፉክክር ነጥብ እያስመዘገበች እንደሆነ ሊሰማት ይችላል።

 የ2020 USIP ሪፖርት በቻይና በቀይ ባህር አካባቢ ያላትን ተሳትፎ አስመልክቶ “ምንም እንኳን አለመረጋጋት የዩኤስ ስትራቴጂካዊ ውድቀትን ትረካ በመመገብ ቻይናን በአንዳንድ መንገዶች የጠቀማት ቢሆንም ቤጂንግ ከወደቁ መንግስታት የጸዳ የተረጋጋ ክልል ላይ የበለጠ ፍላጎት አላት።  ሆኖም፣ “የቻይና ኢኮኖሚ ወይም የፀጥታ ፍላጎት በከፍተኛ ሁኔታ የተጋረጠባቸው አጫጭር ሁኔታዎች… ቤጂንግ ክልላዊ ፉክክር በመድረኩ ውስጥ ግጭቶችን እንዳያባብስ ተጽዕኖዋን ልትጠቀም አትችልም” ሲል ደምድሟል።  በምትኩ ቤጂንግ “የማግለል” ፖሊሲን ትለማመዳለች።

 ቻይና ግን በኢትዮጵያ ውስጥ ከየትኛውም የአፍሪካ ሀገር የበለጠ ስጋት አለባት ማለት ይቻላል።  ኢትዮጵያ በአገሪቷ ውስጥም ሆነ ከድንበሮቿ ባሻገር ተጨባጭ የቻይና ኢኮኖሚያዊ ጥቅሞችን በሚያበላሽ ጎዳና ላይ ትገኛለች።  አንዳንዶች ቻይና የአቢይ መንግስትን ለመደገፍ የምታደርገውን ጥረት እንደምትቀጥል ጠቁመዋል።  ቤጂንግ ከአንፃራዊነት ተለያይታ እንድትሄድ ጫና ሊደረግባት ይችላል ወይ? አዎንታዊ ዲፕሎማሲያዊ ሚና እንድትጫወት?

 ሁሉም ሃይሎች እና ተጫዋቾች ለሰላም ያስፈልጋሉ።

 የአሜሪካ ዲፕሎማሲ በምክንያት እየታገለ ነው።  ቻይና ከህወሀት ጋር በመተባበር ወደ ንቁ ዲፕሎማሲያዊ ስራ ብትሰራ ወይም የፖለቲካ ካፒታል ተጠቅማ የአብይ መንግስት ላይ ጫና ብታደርግ ኖሮ ከፊት ለፊቷ በጣም ፈታኝ ስራ ይጠብቃታል።  በሰላማዊ ዜጎች ላይ ጨምሮ እያደገ የመጣው ጥቃት የኢትዮጵያን የጎሳ እና የክልል መከፋፈል እያባባሰ ነው።  በአፍሪካ እያደገ የመጣው የቻይና ተጽእኖ የአሜሪካ ስጋት የአስተዳደር፣ የሰብአዊ መብቶች እና የኢኮኖሚ እና የስትራቴጂክ ውድድር ጉዳዮችን በትክክል ይነካል።  ነገር ግን የቻይና ተጽእኖ ባለፉት ሁለት አስርት ዓመታት በአፍሪካ ውስጥ በከፍተኛ ሁኔታ እየሰፋ ቢሄድም, ግን ገደብ አለው.  ብዙ ኢንቨስትመንቶች ቢኖሯትም ቻይና ብቻዋን የምትሰራው ኢትዮጵያን በከፍተኛ ሁኔታ የሚያሰጉትን የአንድነት እና የብጥብጥ ኃይሎች ለማስቆም አቅም የላትም።

 የኢትዮጵያን ሰላም ለማስፈን ድርድር እና ተግባራዊ ሊሆን የሚችል ክልላዊ የሃይል ሚዛን የሚደፉ አዳዲስ የፖለቲካ ዝግጅቶችን መተግበር ይጠይቃል።  ይህ በዋናነት ኢትዮጵያውያን እንዲወስኑ ነው - ነገር ግን የውጭ ወገኖች ለሰላም የሚያስፈልጉትን ድርድር ሊያበረታቱ ይችላሉ።  አሁን ኮርሱን ለመቀየር እና ዓለም አቀፍ አቀራረብን ለማጠናከር እድሉ አለ.  ጠቅላይ ሚኒስትር አብይ ውይይቱን ለመደገፍ ፈቃደኛ መሆናቸውን ጠቁመው አንዳንድ ቁልፍ - ግን ሁሉንም አይደሉም - የፖለቲካ እስረኞችን ለቋል።  የትግራይ መንግስት ወታደሮቹ ወደ ትግራይ መውጣታቸውን አስታውቆ ድርድር እንዲደረግ ጠይቋል።  ዓለም አቀፉ ማህበረሰብ - ምዕራባውያን ብቻ ሳይሆኑ ሁሉም ሰው - በእርግጠኝነት የኢትዮጵያ ኢኮኖሚ ዘላቂነት ለቀጣናዊ መረጋጋት እና ለኢትዮጵያ እንደ ሉዓላዊ አካል ህልውና ቁልፍ መሆኑን አምኗል።  በዚህ ወቅት ቻይናን ጨምሮ የውጭ ባለድርሻ አካላት የተቀናጀ ጥረት ወሳኝ ነው።

 የቢደን አስተዳደር ዲፕሎማሲያዊ ጥረቱን በሚተገበርበት ጊዜ የቻይናን ኢኮኖሚያዊ ተጋላጭነት እና የመረጋጋት ድርሻ ሊገነዘብ ይገባል።  ዩናይትድ ስቴትስ በቻይና ላይ የአፍሪካ ኅብረት ጫና በመፍጠር የአብይ መንግሥት በጦር ኃይሎች የበላይ ሆኖ፣ ትርጉም ያለው ድርድር እንዲከተልና ግጭቱን በሰላማዊ መንገድ እንዲፈታ ለማበረታታት ዓላማ ማድረግ አለባት።  የቤጂንግን "ጣልቃ-አልባ" አቀማመጥ እንዳያበላሹ የቻይናውያን ጥረቶች ከጀርባው ሊመጡ ይችላሉ.

 ምናልባትም ቤጂንግ በኢትዮጵያ ገንቢ አፍሪካዊ ዲፕሎማሲ ላይ ፍላጎት የሌላት እና ዲፕሎማሲያዊ ጥረቶች ሲከሽፉ ለማየት እራሷን ትመርጣለች ምናልባትም ከአሜሪካ የኢኮኖሚ ውድቀት የተወሰኑ ቁርጥራጮችን እንደምትወስድ መገመት ይቻላል ።  ነገር ግን ቤጂንግ በኢትዮጵያ ካላት ከፍተኛ ድርሻ አንፃር ገንቢ በሆነ መልኩ ካልተሰማራ ለአፍሪካ ሰላም የት ይሰራሉ?  በየእለቱ ግጭት የበርካታ ኢትዮጵያውያን ህይወት በአሳዛኝ ሁኔታ ሲጠፋ ይታያል - ቤጂንግ የአፍሪካ መፍትሄ አካል ትሆናለች ወይስ የአፍሪካ ቀውስ እንዲቀጥል ትፈቅዳለች?

 USIP

The Catastrophic atrocities in Tigray

 

No one has documented the catastrophic atrocities in Tigray more diligently or thoroughly than Professor Jan Nyssen. In his latest report he says “Mothers are giving birth in the streets”. This appalling man made tragedy is an international disgrace whose authors should be tried for war crimes and worse at The Hague.

May 31, 2021 | Uncategorized

The catastrophic humanitarian situation in Tigray is now (finally) making headlines in international media (section 1). Besides international reactions that become stronger (section 2), we will also give some insights into how the Tigray people are trying to resist to what Ethiopian and Eritrean soldiers call “our season” (section 3). And still, the Ethiopian authorities are attempting to get away with it, using various tactics (section 4). We conclude our newsletter with a digest of press publications (many of them translated from French, Dutch or German – section 5).

Professor Nyssen’s latest summary:

Humanitarian disaster 

The humanitarian situation in Tigray is catastrophic. Besides massacres and rape that are widely used as a weapon of war, one third of the population has been chased from their residential place, what is euphemistically referred to as “IDP” (internally displaced people). Mothers are giving birth in the streets:

The FEWSNET briefing of 17 May 2021 used the following words:

 “this reduction in household access to cash income has resulted in a widespread food security Emergency in the region and has likely led to even more severe consumption gaps for worst-affected households.” This can be decoded to mean that there is not just phase 4 (Emergency) over most of the region, but also phase 5 (Famine) pockets in Tigray. There are now a large number of media reports on these dire conditions:

The Times, 31 May: Civilians killed in Tigray war identified but thousands remainNational Geographic, 28 May: A grave humanitarian crisis is unfolding in Ethiopia. ‘I never saw hell before, but now I have.’The Times, 28 May: Ethiopian hospitals trashed by soldiers as Tigray fighting escalatesUN News, 28 May: Grave concerns over ‘dire’ and deteriorating situation in war-torn Tigray regionAssociated Press, 28 May: ‘Our season’: Eritrean troops kill, rape, loot in TigrayARD Weltspiegel, 27 May: A German TV travels through a war zone: Tigray, not arriving at peace. See the half hour TV report and English summaryAFP, 27 May: Displaced Tigrayans accuse soldiers of torture, ‘murder’: documentNew York Times, 26 May: Famine Looms in Ethiopia’s War-Ravaged Tigray Region, U.N. SaysRadio France internationale, 26 May: Tigré: un massacre commis par des soldats érythréens à Goda [in French] – English translation: Tigray: a massacre committed by Eritrean soldiers in GodaThe Telegraph, 24 May: Exclusive: Ethiopians suffer horrific burns in suspected white phosphorus attacksRadio France internationale, 21 May: Au Tigré, les agriculteurs sont les premières victimes d’un conflit qui dure [in French] – English translation: In Tigray, the farmers are the first victims of a conflict that is lasting·       

  NOS, 20 May: Deur staat voor buitenwereld nog maar op een kier in Ethiopische deelstaat Tigray [in Dutch] – English translation: Door is only ajar for outside world in Ethiopian state of TigrayUN OCHA, 20 May: Ethiopia – Tigray Region Humanitarian UpdateAFP, 19 May: Ethiopian Troops Search Hospital For Enemy ‘Soldiers’: DoctorsAl Jazeera, 18 May: ‘No food for days’: Starvation stalks Tigray as war drags onAFP, 17 May: Situation in Ethiopia’s Tigray ‘horrific’: 

WHO chiefMSF, 17 May: Photostory: Reaching the forgotten communities of the Tigray crisisNCR, 17 May: Local priest: Atrocities still occurring in Ethiopia’s Tigray regionRFI, 17 May: Ethiopie : les habitants de Tuhuli, dans le Tigré, racontent l’enfer [in French] – English translation: Ethiopia: The people of Tuhuli, in Tigray, tell the story of hellEU observer, 17 May: EU: Over 5 million people risk ‘starvation’ in EthiopiaTagesspiegel, 16 May: Patriarch warnt vor „Völkermord“ in Tigray [in German]CNN, 15 May: US condemns ‘atrocities’ in Tigray and calls for those responsible to be ‘held to account’ after CNN investigationRadio France internationale, 12 May: Éthiopie: avec les déplacés du Tigré, naufragés à Mekele [in French]RFI, 10 May: Éthiopie: au Tigré, une Pâques orthodoxe entre fête, tristesse et deuil [in French] – English translation: Ethiopia: in Tigray, an Orthodox Easter between celebration, sadness and mourningARD tagesshow, 10 May: Ein Krieg, der keiner sein soll [in German], English translation: A war that shouldn’t be oneRadio France internationale, 12 May: Conflit au Tigré : pour le patriarche de Mekele «Abiy Ahmed marche dans les traces d’Issayas Afewerki» – English translation: Conflict in Tigray: for the patriarch of Mekele “Abiy Ahmed walks in the footsteps of Issayas Afewerki”

Upcoming webinar, 8 June: Voices From Tigray – Brutalities against Religious leaders, Holy Places and Heritage in Tigray

International reactions 

International reactions and pressure are becoming more important. Finally, the world is going beyond expressions of ‘serious concern’. Some key points of the U.S. senate Foreign Affairs Committee hearing:

The State Department is conducting a legal review as to whether war crimes and crimes against humanity have been committed by Ethiopian and Eritrean forces. The Patriarch’s allegation of genocide is being taken seriously.The comparison with Darfur is being made. On the humanitarian issue, the comparison is with the 1984 famine in Ethiopia.The U.S. is considering utilizing the Global Magnitsky Act which would give far-reaching powers to sanction individuals. They also mentioned that they would be ready to pursue accountability to the highest level.The elections were mentioned in passing, to the effect that they would have no credibility, and that a national dialogue was needed.Concern with the regional order in the Horn of Africa (and U.S. national security) was expressed.

The video of the proceedings can be found here: https://www.foreign.senate.gov/hearings/ethiopia-in-crisis-us-strategy-and-policy-response-052721

Related media articles:

VRT, 29 May: VN waarschuwt voor dreigende hongersnood in Ethiopische regio Tigray – (UN warns of looming famine in Ethiopian region of Tigray) [in Dutch, Tigrinya and English]Bloomberg, 28 May: U.S. to Freeze Funding for Ethiopia as Tigray Abuses SurfaceReuters, 27 May: U.S. warns of further action against Ethiopia, Eritrea over TigrayBBC, 27 May: Ethiopia’s Tigray conflict: Biden demands ceasefire and end to abusesNTV, 27 May: Biden fordert Waffenruhe in Tigray [in German]White House, 26 May: Statement by President Joe Biden on the Crisis in EthiopiaCNN, 26 May: Tigrayans told, ‘We’ll see if America will save you now,’ as hundreds rounded up by Ethiopian and Eritrean soldiersPolitico, 23 May: EU ‘seriously concerned’ about press rights in EthiopiaThe Guardian, 23 May: Washington toughens stance to fight atrocities in EthiopiaBloomberg, 22 May: U.S. Weighs Financial Sanctions Against Ethiopia Over Tigray WarForeign Policy, 21 May: Biden Administration Plans Visa Restrictions on Ethiopian Officials Over TigrayCNN, 21 May: US Senate passes unanimous resolution calling for withdrawal of Eritrean forces from EthiopiaUS Department of State, 19 May: Secretary Blinken’s Meeting with Finnish Foreign Minister HaavistoToday News Africa, 19 May: Biden administration says it remains committed to solving Tigray crisis amid accusations of inactionReuters, 18 May: Moody’s downgrade over G20 common framework hits Ethiopian bonds

How Tigray resists

We communicated with friends in Mekelle. They unanimously claim is that perpetrators of the crimes against humanity are Ethiopian and Eritrean soldiers. On the other hand, there is also a mix of fear and pity for the young soldiers who are dropped in Mekelle. We received some details about the ways in which people inside Tigray are trying to resist:

A colleague from Mekelle University found one of their former students among the soldiers. The soldier begged for help to escape from Tigray and from the army. People help by giving them civilian clothes. 

In common talk in Tigray, the term “ENDF” is not used anymore when talking about the Ethiopian army, they are simply named “PP soldiers”, after Abiy Ahmed’s “Prosperity Party”. The respected naming has been lost. There is no protection for civilians in the Eritrean-ENDF controlled areas… This stands in contrast with Tigray strongholds, according to friends. North of Mekelle, in Sa’isi’e, Atsbi and towards Adigrat, the TDF (Tigray Defence Forces)  have established a strong presence. In these ‘free areas’ (as some people in Mekelle call them), the rule of law has been re-established. Robberies and theft are punished, there is an authority that can handle complaints. 

From 25 to 27 May, an inter-religious “Tigray Fasting”  (twitter: #TigrayTsom) was organised all over Tigray, with people fasting and praying for peace and humanitarian solutions. Oromo political prisoners even participated in the three days long fasting that has been held by the people of Tigray. The reader may take a 26-minutes (virtual) bajaj drive through town, visit the major markets and Mekelle’s hypercentre; all shops were closed, like in a general strike: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ry2KDVg_AfM&t=144s

As a reaction to this large civil disobedience, the PP administration tried to forbid shops from re-opening and stopped inter-city transportation: h

Unfortunately, media do not much address this widespread resistance of the population:

Addis Standard, 26 May: Jawar et al threaten to quit hearing attendance until court decisions are respected; commence two days hunger strike in solidarity with TigrayJamestown Foundation, 24 May: Tigray Defense Forces Resist Ethiopian Army Offensive as Sudan, Eritrea, and Ethnic Militias Enter the Fray  RFI, 23 May: Éthiopie: comment les forces rebelles du Tigré organisent la résistance[in French] – English translation: Ethiopia: how the Tigray rebel forces organize resistance

Tactics to get away with crimes against humanity

As mentioned, pressure on the Ethiopian authorities in relation to these massive war crimes has increased. Hence, they have developed a whole set of diversion tactics.

Tactic 1: Denial: “it’s a very crazy idea”, “you are on the TPLF payroll”Tactic 2: Admit a small crime, say that you are doing something about it, and the World can continue closing its eyes.Tactic 3: “This is a dirty war, all are committing crimes”Tactic 4: “Human rights concerns is Western imperialism; Ethiopia is not for sale”Tactic 5: “Unfortunately, this is the price to pay”

See some articles below, which may be fitted in either of the above categories

Al Jazeera, 30 May: Ethiopians denounce US at pro-government rally in Addis AbabaThe Reporter, 29 May: The bitter fruits of Tigray war: Eritrea costing EthiopiaFox News, 26 May: Ethiopia’s Amhara ethnic group accuses Biden of ignoring atrocitiesBloomberg, 22 May 2021: Ethiopia Awards New Telecoms License to Vodafone ConsortiumReuters, 21 May 2021: Four Ethiopian soldiers convicted of crimes against civilians in TigrayPolitico, 21 May: Ethiopia expels journalist who reported on atrocities in TigrayAFP, 21 May: Ethiopia says Eritrean troops killed civilians in TigrayNew York Times, 20 May: Ethiopia Expels New York Times ReporterAddis Standard, 17 May: Ethiopia says campaign to exert “undue pressure” against it “regrettable”; push by partners to involve the TPLF in national dialogue “unacceptable”

Other articles in mediaBahir Dar news (unpublished): The road to the north is closed. The Amhara Special Forces attacked the Qemant minority group – there is fighting and houses burnt in and around Gondar (Woleqa, Qusqwam).CNN, 28 May: Hundreds of detained Tigrayans released following CNN reportRadio France internationale, 25 May: Conflit en Éthiopie: l’inquiétude des habitants d’Alamata, ville du Tigré sous contrôle Amhara [in French] The Economist, 22 May: Eritrea’s President Issaias Afwerki bids for regional greatness – But his latest gamble is riskyThe Economist, 22 May: Eritrea, Africa’s gulag state, is on the marchSudan Tribune, 22 May: Egyptian troops arrive in Sudan ahead of bilateral military drillsThe Intercept, 21 May: Propaganda Machine – Voice of America Is Accused of Ignoring Government Atrocities in EthiopiaNation.Africa, 21 May: Ethiopian doctor who fled Tigray faces deportation from KenyaCNN, 19 May: Ethiopian soldiers armed with guns and grenades raid hospital featured in CNN reportSouth China Morning Post, 18 May:  Ethiopian civil war: Hong Kong pair trek to raise funds for victims, while their neighbours with adopted son from Tigray shield him from the conflict’s horrorsTghat, 18 May: After ethnic cleansing of Tigrayans from Western Tigray, Amhara State proceeds to lease and distribute their farmlands to Amhara investorsNation.Africa, 17 May: UN, Ethiopia rights groups to launch joint probe into Tigray abusesAddis Fortune, 15 May: In the absence of inclusive, conclusive national elections

Opinion pieces

The Armenian Weekly Staff: Tigray, the Armenian Genocide and an Open Letter to Pres. BidenBob Menendez & Gregory Meeks: Ethiopia: The Biden administration must put its foot downGoitom Aregawi: Tigray: Call It Genocide, Prosecute Its Leaders and End ItAlex de Waal: It’s time for Africa to take a stance against Ethiopia’s crimesSamuel Ghebhrehiwet: Eritrea viewpoint: I fought for independence but I’m still waiting for freedomOpinio Juris: The Ethio-Eritrean Hunger Plan for Tigray and the Failure of Resolution 2417The Times view on the tragedy in TigrayAlex de Waal: Ethiopia Tigray crisis: Warnings of genocide and famine

Best greetings,

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Jan Nyssen
Professor of Physical Geography
Department of Geography
Ghent University
Belgium