After being locked up in jail for 6 years by Woyanne dictator Meles Zenawi, Ato Siye Abraha is finally free and next month he will start a public meeting tour in the U.S. His first stop is Washington DC on January 5, 2008.
Ato Siye’s U.S.A. tour is being promoted by almost every Ethiopian media in the Diaspora. Some try to portray him as a national hero. Ethiopian Review is the exception. Our position is that before calling public meetings and ask people to pay $20 or $30 per person to attend his meetings, Ato Siye needs to explain, through a press conference or some other means, about the positions he had held and the actions he had carried out as the former military head of the Woyanne regime.
Let’s face the hard fact before getting excited about Siye’s visit. He has not made any public apology for the enormous death and destruction he had caused as one of the top Woyanne leaders.
During the 1998-2000 war with Eritrea, at least 70,000 fellow Ethiopians had perished — for nothing. The dead did not even get proper burial ceremony. Their families were not compensated. The injured were completely abandoned. There is no national holiday to honor those who died. As one of the major proponents of the war, indeed the leading advocate, Ato Siye has the blood of at least 70,000 poor young Ethiopians on his hand whom he callously sacrificed using an outdated military tactic known as human wave to overrun Eritrean trenches.
Just because Meles locked up Siye Abraha in jail for six years as a result of internal Woyanne power struggle, the crimes he committed do not go away. He must account for his horrible deeds.
It is shameful, to say the least, on the part of many in the media to try to portray Siye Abraha has a national hero. He is a person who swam in the blood of countless poor innocent Ethiopians.
203 thoughts on “Siye Abraha is NOT a national hero”
“I ask Er to post this article written by Girma Kassa”
I prefer to wait and hear from Ato Siye himself. So far from what I have heard, in interviews he made after his release, I see a seasoned individual, with great wisdom and strong commitment for the national unity of Ethiopia and the rule of law. I see a man who can play a pivotal role in bringing Ethiopians together and help remove the deepening polarization of Ethiopia that are caused by the ill-fated ethnic politics of TPLF.
In the January 5th meeting, I would like to hear his stand on the poisonous article of the constitution that give right to “nations and nationalities” to secede from Ethiopia. I would like to hear if his first commitment is for Ethiopia as a whole instead for only one region. I would like to hear if he has a willingness to join a political party that is not organized under an ethnic group?
During the May 2005 Election one thing is clear. Despite of the facts ethnic politics had been preached for more than 15 years, Ethiopians has voted for “Ethiopiawinet”. They want to live together in a strong, prosperous, peaceful, democratic and United Ethiopia where all its citizens live in dignity and respect. Ethiopians do not want to see bloodshed anymore. They do not want to be treated as second class citizens when all the privileges go only to certain group of people.
Will Ato Siye keep note of these heart beats of Ethiopians? Will he notice to what Ethiopians have rejected? Will he sense that there is a big divide and polarization within Ethiopia that can be healed only when people are brought together? Will he try to be part of the solution or instead continue to massage bad policies of his old party, the TPLF?
Ato Siye has a clear and golden opportunity to play a major role within Ethiopia. If he still espouses his old ethnic politics (like the Tigray Arena leadership did), I believe Ato Siye’s influence will be mainly in Tigray and cannot have at all any national impact.
To the contrary if he endorses a federal Ethiopia that is not based only on ethnicity, Ato Siye will clearly demonstrate that he is no longer in line with a rejected politics. He could easily join organization like the CUD or the UEDF and struggle for the betterment not only of residents of one region but of all Ethiopians.
The choice is his. I see a great potential for him. I see his popularity grow among Ethiopians outside Tigray. I advise him to make bold actions, not spoil this opportunity and be in deeds the true son of Alula (dekialula), a man who put Ethiopia first.
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The writer, Girma Kassa, can be reached at [email protected]
Hi people,
Why u can not speak the truth? Why you go only in one direction, with a very narrow ethinicity? I know who are the comment writters here. Because, we all ethiopian who love ethiopia also love Siye Abraha.
He is the person who strictly stand against the action taken by Meles to make our country land locked. Please think over it. How much money we are spending for the ports of our neighbour countries?
Another thing, we know the Ethio-Eritrea war was come to its final by the winner of Ethiopia. Who was the leader for Satelite image and our air forces?
Please do not misinterpret Siyes role for Ethiopia. Some times people from Tigray ( particularly one wereda from where Meles was born) hate him because he is a Friend of Tamrat Lyne, Dr. Brhanu Nega, Birtukan Demeksa—-. Why not?
So, please think and try to use ur mind who give u GOD to think wisely not in an animalistic way.
A real approach to your “principles ” that will community features laid out in your case as well as me personally. University training, work opportunities, success * sometimes it’s great to interrupt your mould.wimbledon architects