Beyond #NoMore Rallies: Strategic Engagement of the Ethiopian Diaspora

 In one of my previous commentaries, I indicated the fact that most Ethiopians have just started to decisively check the advances TPLF is making. They are getting more organized and work in unison with the national defense force. For them, it is not all about saving their government from collapse; they simply do not afford to have another TPLF-led governance system or a quazi- or proxy one. Not least important is that over 95% of the Ethiopian population are faithful believers. They thus have a shared basis of understanding about the significance of self-defense, peace, unity, and justice. This understanding is the social glue that intersects all the ethnic groups despite the existence of real differences in other dimensions. All these plus the latest decisions made by the ruling Prosperity Party really scares and corners TPLF and its entourage.

Prospect for Peace in Ethiopia: The Obasanjo Factor

 The High Representative of the Chairperson of the African Union Commission for the Horn of Africa, the former Nigerian president Olusegun Obasanjo, issued on 13 November 202 a statement on the prospects of peace in Ethiopia. According to the statement, Mr Obasanjo “have had encouraging meetings with the leaders of Oromia and Amhara regions while I have scheduled to meet with the leadership of Afar region upon my return to Ethiopia. I have also met with leaders across the region including the Presidents of Kenya, Uganda, Djibouti, South Sudan, Somalia and the leadership of Sudan” (p.1). These “encouraging meetings” seemed to have convinced the High Representative to be “optimistic that common ground towards a peaceful resolution of the conflict can be secured” (p.1).

Ethiopia will Prevail!

 Ethiopia is being treated in the stages of world society as a ‘rockstar’ who has just fallen from grace for whatever reason. Multilateral organizations such as the EU and the UN and Western countries including the USA, France, Germany, Ireland, and the UK have repeatedly issued “deep concerns” and communiques about the current state of affairs in Ethiopia. The language used to convey their views are clearly domineering (e.g. the Ethiopian government MUST unconditionally declare ceasefire and MUST enter into unconditional dialogue with the TPLF) and belittling (their messages leave the impression that the Ethiopian government does not know what to do in the face of uncertainty). Guessing the possibility of worsening conditions, such countries and organizations are almost forcing their own citizens and employees to immediately leave Ethiopia.