These problems have been swept away from open view for years and it is time to show us what you can do by the way you deal with your own crisis. If you do not recognize it as a crisis, just start asking the people. I encourage you to be proactive in calling a meeting to address these differences and to find a solution. You, Mr. Hailu say there is one Kinijit and that you still are the chairman. If you are, why are you not with the others delegation? You the five delegations still say that Hailu Shawel is your chairman. If so, why is he not touring with you? Please answer the Ethiopian public—what is going on? We deserve honest answers.

I call you Kinijit leaders to take the highest ground and do all you can to address these issues and then to help us to move on. We have many divisions in our country and we need leaders capable of addressing them with genuineness, with integrity, with wisdom, with transparency, with compassion, with perseverance, with justice and with vision.

We believe you are all highly capable of this and we call on you to lead the way to a new national movement for freedom, justice, equality and reconciliation. If you do, there will be 77 million winners and you will be like the precious water of the Nile that originates from Ethiopia and gives life not only to Ethiopia, but to millions of diverse people along the way — Muslims, Christians, non-believers, people of different nations and of different ethnic groups, colors and languages.

So, my CUDP leaders, we are human and sometimes we can disagree, but let us not lose the bigger picture, which should focus on our people. As I said, I do not know the inside of what is going on, but I am very confident that with God’s help, we can find a way out of this where no way seems to exist. Let not our anger or frustration with each other control us as someone once said that an angry revolutionary will never win the war because most of his energy will be consumed by his own emotions. Instead, let us learn to be tolerant and accepting.

Our Almighty and good God can help us recover and be restored if we are willing to listen and to change our way of thinking. But if we do not listen and continue to point the finger at others, we will have more casualties who will go down with this division. This division is not even an option as it is like providing ammunition for the weapons the Woyanne are already using on us. So I call on you not only to reconcile within your political organization, but also to call on all other Ethiopian political organizations, even resistance political organizations, to find a way we can get out of this mess.

You are all already aware that I have been trying to reach both parties in order to help find a solution to this crisis. I have attempted to talk to you, Mr. Hailu Shawel, on several occasions, but have only talked to those who are close to you who indicated your willingness to come together for this reason. I am eagerly awaiting your personal response. I have also been in touch with you, Bertukan and Berhana. You have also indicated an interest in pursuing this. May God give us a way to resolve this crisis before it gets out of control.

If you would want me to organize such a meeting to address the crisis in the Kinijit, I would be available to do so, but I await your firm response. If this were to be arranged, I would include someone from the Ogaden, from the Benishangul, from the Afar, from the Sidamo, from the Gurage and from the Oromo. However, the crisis is increasing in intensity daily and because of that, I would recommend that it be scheduled immediately so that these very critical questions are discussed, resolved and addressed before we divide the people of Ethiopia in our battle for their support. Please know, if you would prefer someone else to do this, that is also okay, but I encourage you to move ahead to solve this before the first rays of dawn are stolen by the darkness of the Ethiopian night…continued on next page >>