On Thursday, Ethiopians in Addis Ababa congregated on the famous Meskel square to 'oppose the TPLF' and "the interference of the international community." Addis residents came out in full force with banners that read "hands-off Ethiopia," firmly defending the Abiy administration, which has been put under immense pressure internally and by the international community.
Internally, dissident groups have been emboldened, especially after a series of heavy military defeats in Tigray and Afar regional states. Rebels in Oromia and the ousted government of Tigray have made significant advances in their respective territories. The latter has choked the Ethiopian army and allied militaries into submission, after which upwards of 8,000 Ethiopian rank and file soldiers were paraded through the capital to raucous Mekelle residents.
TDF – the Tigray Defense Forces – have taken control in most parts of the Tigray region and have ventured into neighboring Afar and Amhara provinces.
This comes after TPLF spokesperson Getachew Reda vowed that regional and international borders would not limit the TDF's mission 'to weaken and destroy enemy forces.' In the past few days, heavy fighting was reported in Afar, with some claiming that the TDF has severed the transport corridor linking Djibouti and Ethiopia in Logia. It is well to note here that almost all of Ethiopia's imports and exports pass through Logia, approximately 10 kilometers from the provincial capital, Semera.
This rapid advance has caused headaches in the halls of Arat-kilo. Ministers and cabinet members of the prosperity party have now started contemplating a retreat from the unilateral ceasefire the Ethiopian military called for late last month.
The ruling party is vying for a new wave of public support, just like eight months ago, when the war broke out. Eight months ago, the northern command was disarmed of most of its armaments, resulting in the Ethiopian government amassing support from the wider Ethiopian population, including religious, educational, and civil institutions.
But unlike November 2020, the states-quo has changed for the prosperity party and its aligned parties. This time around, the Ethiopian public has been called upon to protest the supposed 'interference' by the US, EU, and other western countries. The call for an end to the fighting and stop the looming famine in the region by western countries has been manifested as an interference, whose main objective is to 'resuscitate the dead TPLF' as per the PP propaganda machine.
Ironically, some banners on display during Thursday's rally called for Ethiopia's sovereignty to be respected and let Ethiopians solve their' problems.' While it's well-known that multiple state actors had been allowed to join the military confrontation in Tigray, expressly the Eritrean army, Ethiopians are lauding Ethiopia's sovereignty. "Ethiopia will never crumble; "Ethiopia will continue to prosper; no one can ever succeed in destroying Ethiopia" were displayed in the rally.
Perhaps the most agonizing aspect of the rally was the messages propped by some Addis residents calling the TPLF cancer. In a recent Twitter post, PM Abiy labeled the TPLF as cancer and 'a disease to Ethiopian unity." He further vilified the TPLF as harmful weeds for all Ethiopians to remove. Such vitriolic labels have gained popularity among Ethiopianists, as was seen in Thursday's rally. And as a result, ordinary Tigrayans living outside of Tigray have targets on their backs.
A call to arms
The rally was also in part to show solidarity and support for the Ethiopian army. An army severely weakened after months of incessant fighting in Tigray.
In recent weeks, Arat-kilo has been collecting massive donations from governmental institutions and the wealthy. The Addis Ababa municipality contributed a jaw-dropping 200 million ETB and pledged millions more in the coming month to help the ENDF reconstitute. While Mayor Adanech may have been at the forefront of the donations and the most vocal PP official, the regime has secured millions more from loyal heads of regional states in Oromia, Sidama, and the SNNP.
My son's local school even asked for donations for the Ethiopian army. The school asked for modest contributions of one hundred birr per student. As I reread the text sent by the school in disbelief, I realized that the regime is now throwing everything towards a military solution – kitchen sink included.
Elsewhere, I tuned in to ETV to listen to a political scientist/researcher plead for Ethiopians to "put their differences aside in the face of all the problems the country is facing." He echoed the concerns of 'experts' of similar ilk: if the unity of the Ethiopian people doesn't defeat the Junta, then we shan't have a country. "Our children will not have a country to call home. That's why all of us need to foil their ploy of destroying Ethiopia."
The expert further pleaded with Ethiopians to 'take up arms' when the time comes. That means Ethiopians have to sacrifice their lives on the war-front for a dying regime as Arat-kilo is fending off multiple dissidents – mainly in Tigray and Oromia.
If it wasn't already obvious, it was on Thursday. Abiy Ahmed is yet again gearing up for another genocidal adventure. The mobilization of armed militias and federal law enforcement officers is evident in this regard. But perhaps the most glaring question for Abiy and his supporters is, why hark back to November of last year when we have already ventured down that destructive past?
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