Ethiopia's ruling party says opposition may incite violence

February 4th, 2010 | | 5 Comments

By Jason McLure

ADDIS ABABA (Bloomberg) — Ethiopia’s ruling party said the country’s largest opposition grouping, the Forum for Democratic Dialogue (Medrek), would try to foment violence after elections scheduled for May in an effort to spur foreign governments to intervene.

“They are ready to create violence after the elections,” Hailemariam Desalegn, the parliamentary whip for the ruling Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front [a cover for Tigrean People's Liberation Front (Woyanne)], said in a phone interview this week. “Their ultimate objection is not free and fair elections but to get power-sharing like in Zimbabwe and Kenya. I think this is very dangerous and they should be properly told this.”

He said opposition allegations that elections scheduled for May 23 would not be free and fair were designed to fuel popular discontent that would lead to street clashes as happened following the country’s disputed 2005 poll.

The warning came as the opposition Unity for Democracy and Justice (UDJ), the largest political party in the Forum, accused the U.S., Britain and other Western aid donors of silence over the jailing of UDJ leader Birtukan Mideksa and other human rights abuses.

The U.S. and U.K. “are following the old way of doing business,” said Andualem Aragie, UDJ’s secretary general. “They are partners in development with the Ethiopian government but I don’t think they are partners in freedom and democracy.”

Following disputed presidential elections in Zimbabwe in 2008 and Kenya in 2007, international mediators brokered agreements that allowed opposition parties to share power with Presidents Robert Mugabe and Mwai Kibaki.

The opposition has sought to raise pressure on the U.S., U.K., and other donors who supply more than $2 billion in aid annually to Ethiopia, saying their silence is tantamount to political support for Prime Minister Meles Zenawi.

The U.K. government has a “frank and full dialogue with the government of Ethiopia on human rights and democracy including Birtukan,” said Gavin Cook, a spokesman for the British embassy in Addis Ababa. “Our development assistance, regardless to who is in power, has helped benefit millions of Ethiopians.”

Michael Gonzales, a spokesman for the U.S. embassy in Addis Ababa, declined comment.


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5 Responses to “Ethiopia's ruling party says opposition may incite violence”1.Gishen Wollo says:
Hailemariam Desalegn reminds me of his predecessor, Ermias Legesse who defected to the west as soon as the opportunity presented itself.

These spokesmen know for fact they are lying and you can tell they are ashamed of their jobs. For TPLF to exist, lying and propaganda are very very essential. And thus here, we are confronted with a mountain of lie.

To see this we do not even have to go Ethiopia, all we need is a computer with internet connection. Go to any website where TPLF has anything to say; ask yourself "what is the ultimate argument TPLF brings to the table on any issue?" The answer has always been, and will always be "bring it on? where is your Ak 47?". It is essentially an invitation to violence with an understanding that they can win any such confrontation. Therefore it is close to mystifying when we read Hailemariam Desalegn acting like he is worried there will be violence — when infact he knows for sure the violence has ever happened in Ethiopia for the past 18 years was solely initiated by TPLF. We all remember in 2005, TPLF killed a mother of 7 not in the streets but IN HER OWN HOME!!! They also killed another mother infront of her daughter IN HER OWN HOME! not in the streets! The perpetrators of these heinous crimes are free and that is intentionally so because the TPLF junta wants to terrorize the population.

How embarassed must Hailemariam feel when he goes to bed and realize he is nothing more and nothing less than a PAID LIAR…a professional LIAR. I am sure he is waiting for an exit.

February 4th, 2010 at 10:56 AM

2.koster says:
The WEST talk of peace and democracy but in reality they love what they call "friendly tyrants". They are licensed to loot and kill as long as they fulfill their masters wish.

After wall famine and war are great businesses and both Woyane and their foreign collaborators profit from them who cares if thousands or even millions are killed that is what happened in Rwanda and could be repeated elsewhere.

February 4th, 2010 at 11:10 AM

3.George says:
It is a well known fact that the west led by the US and Britain don't give a damn about democracy and human rights in Ethiopia or any other third world country for that matter. In fact, their interests are best served by tyrants like meles; musevini, and the likes. The no comments by the spokesperson of the US embassy in Addis Abeba tells exactly this fact. Therefore, we have to fight to the bitter end and get rid of this criminal gang once and for all to save the country and it's people. If any of us are still hoping one day the International community will free us from the well entrenched beast called weyane, that means after 20 years we still haven't learned yet.

February 4th, 2010 at 12:35 PM

4.Mestewat says:
Primarily what counts is not the West or the rest but the well planed, organized, coordinated and inclusive struggle of all major opposition groups in unity within diversity and push the struggle for freedom and democracy to the end of the the line and make liberty a true reality.

The May 2005 half hearted and half baked amature Hoyaa hoyee solo treasure hunt only lead to the traumatic, disgraceful defeat and totally crumbling and divided party. A genuine party or opposition takes in to account the fundamental and genuine interests of all parties and justice for all with less of manipulation.

That way, lasting victory can be assured after which all the west and the rest will follow suit and come to celebrate the winner's efforts and results since nothing will ever be victorious than victory itself.

Otherwise, for the oppositions, sitting like fat ducks bickering endlessely and waiting for the west and the rest to come and liberate the wretched and the exploited is similar to un naturally putting a cart infront of the horse.

If these opposition guys and gals have now learned from their previous some 20 years of mistakes and are now preparing to go forwards with fresh and new plan, vigour and broader unity victory is already assured.

"History does not teach fatalism. There are moments when the will of a handful of free men breaks through determinism and opens up new roads." ~Charles de Gaulle

February 4th, 2010 at 12:53 PM

5.EritreanSocialist says:
Ethiopians should take example of the iranian islamic revolutionairies who marched towards US trained and supplied forces of the Shah getting shot and killed but they didn't flinch and got their revolution and kicked the west out of their country

February 4th, 2010 at 4:32 PM