By Daniel Assefa
August 2 , 2006


After failing to address the core problems that have resulted during and after the May 15th, 2005 national elections debacle, the Ethiopian government is currently trying to divert the Ethiopian people?s attention away from the ever lingering domestic problems with its illegal military incursion into Somalia. However, the pain and memory of EPRDF?s harassment, imprisonment without trials, torture and mass murder during and after last year?s elections still resonates with the Ethiopian people and thus the government?s attempt to sidetrack the people has failed. While this entire political crisis goes on, the EPRDF regime feels that it is not at all accountable for the chaos that has unfolded after the May 2005 elections as it points the finger at the opposition. However, one can argue that it is the EPRDF that can, and ought, to be charged with inciting violence, committing genocide, and dismantling the constitution- charges that it has brought against the leadership of CUDP.

An example of the government?s incitement of violence can be noted in April 2001. The students of Addis Ababa University peacefully demanded to republish a banned student magazine, dismissal of two university administrators closely affiliated with EPRDF, and removal of security troops stationed inside the campus. Since all of their demands were not met, the students continued their peaceful demonstrations. On April 18th, 2001, the government responded violently attacking students, and bystanders including women and children. At the end of the day, at least 40 people had died and more than 2000 students were taken into custody. The government refused to create an independent commission that would investigate the killings, and no one has since been charged. If this is not inciting violence on behalf of the government, I do not know what is, and the government needs to be charged with this heinous act of violence.

The most absurd charge the CUDP leadership is facing right now is 'planning and committing genocide.' For the EPRDF to use the word 'genocide' so lightly is such an insult to all the different genocides that took place around the world, where hundreds of thousands of people were mercilessly massacred due to their race, religion or political belief. If any one were to be charged with genocide, it's the EPRDF. In December 2003, the Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF) committed numerous human rights violations against Anuak communities in the Gambella region of southwestern Ethiopia that accounts to genocide. Genocide, according to The United Nations Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide defines the term as (a) Killing members of the group (b) Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group (c) Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part. According the Human Rights Watch report Targeting the Anuak, 424 Anuak were brutally murdered, entire villages were burned to the ground, thousands of families were driven from their homes, and in dozens of communities, soldiers have raped Anuak women, beaten and tortured young men to the point of serious injury or death and looted homes and public buildings. The government's response was to arrest eight low ranking soldiers in connection with these crimes and transfer the commander of the ENDF of Gambella, present during the massacre to a nearby town as a means of demotion. But yet they are quick to play the genocide card when charging the leadership of CUDP.

Dismantling the constitution is yet another charge that the CUDP leadership faces in court. For any one who followed very closely the events leading up to the May 15th, 2005 elections and shortly afterwards, it is quite easy to notice that this is another trumped up charge the EPRDF used in order to haul the opposition into jail. What is interesting to note here is that while the opposition was facing charges of dismantling the constitution, the government it self was dismantling its own constitution. The leaders of CUDP were arrested on November 1st, 2005 and they appeared before a judge for the first time on November 7th, 2005, where the judge ordered for them to be held another 14 days, giving more time to the police to collect evidence. According to Article 19 of the Ethiopian constitution, "persons arrested have the right to be brought before a court within 48 hours of their arrest. On appearing before a court, they have the right to be given prompt and specific explanation of the reasons for their arrest due to the alleged crime committed."

Amidst all the political chaos taking place within Ethiopia, the Ethiopian government has recently led a military incursion into Somalia. Since the Ethiopian government has a history of repressing autonomous civic participation on the part of the Ethiopian citizenry, it is no surprise that the Ethiopian government has once again marginalized the Ethiopian people. The Ethiopian people were not consulted, (even though they will be the ones to pay with their lives) and the decision was not passed through parliament. This is another example of the government showing disregard to the whishes of its own people who want nothing more than to have peaceful ties with their neighbors, its discount for its own constitution, and at the same time not respecting the sovereignty of its neighboring country, which the majority of the people want the Ethiopian troops to leave. Article 86 of the Ethiopian constitution clearly states that the principle of external relations is "to promote mutual respect for national sovereignty and equality of states and non-interference in the internal affairs of other states" none of which is being upheld. Whether this is the government's attempt to divert the ongoing internal crisis in Ethiopia, or whether it is just a show of force to be recognized as the superpower in the Horn of Africa or whatever else reasons there may be, it is tantamount to war crimes according to international treaties. I appeal to the international community not to stand by and watch. We cannot afford another war either in Somalia or Ethiopia. The only thing we can afford right now is peace.