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Siye Abraha is NOT a national hero

Posted on , Updated on by Elias Kifle

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Ato Siye has the blood of at least 70,000 poor young Ethiopians on his hand whom he callously sacrificed using an outdated military tactic known as human wave to overrun Eritrean trenches.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”

  1. good job elias !!

    all woyane that the melese’s didn’t give him his part from stolen money cannt be a hero. may be tomorrow we give the name hero to seyoum mesfen and others . they jailed one anather not about ethiopia, it is about money and power strugle in woyane.

  2. Eliase,
    You did it again..akafa akafa new malet mechal talak gift new!!
    This person is the most evil person in TPLf. This guy mercilessly killed former derg soldiers even when they gave their hand!! As you eliquently described it, this guy started the eritran-ethiopian war to satisfy his insatable apetite for power…
    And single handedly continued the war despite the huge loss!! he agreed to sign the algers deal..this lier singed with his ten fingers when the algers deal comes..
    the truth later came to light when he tried to topple meles under the pretext that meles was complecent to Eritrea and ofcourse meles came out of this itnernqal power struggle stronger and put seyie abrhas ass behind the bar. Now he is a hero!! This is the guy who ordered the killings of university students and he is the man drentched with blood in his hands!! now he is trying to be a dove!! Let the tigrayns attend the meeting…for the rest of ethiopians, he is a criminal waiting his days for justice!! Siye is the pioneer of independent tigray phylosphy..now thanks to those suckers at the VOA, he got some spotlights…
    And, ofcourse, the fifth columinist, Ethio media editor is trying make hero out of this monster and it understandbale, ethiomedia is another wolf in sheep skin!!

  3. Yes, Elias,
    I duelly second your stand! We demand public apology for his atrocities, both in the Ethio-eritrean war, as well as other situations such as tigranization of the Wolqayt-tegede and northern Wollo people. Elias, the later one is the most heinous crime that the Siyie group walked away with unnoticed. Will never pay a penny to smell his blood swarmed hands.

  4. That is a point worth raising and hammering out. The guy and his family were known for their arrogance, too. Just because the chief devil is still on power and jailed the one just below him, it should not in anyway mean that Siye is a hero. Yes, everyone should account for crimes committed in the past, unless repentance is considered as a way forward for the sake of reconciliation. Whatever the case, the lost lives of innocent citizens should be given the weight they desrve.

  5. Siye is more dictator than Melese Zenzwi and should be treated like meles and other Woyane members.
    He is responsible for the death of 70000 innocent Ethiopians on the war with Eritrea.

  6. Dear Elias,
    I think, you missed two points here.

    1. From what I read on all Ethiopian media, nobody said he is a national hero. Mentioning his former government post on the flyer doesn’t imply anything.

    2. I also remember that the day he was released on bail by Birtukan, local journalists in Addis asked him what his plans for the future are (that was in 2001). His answer was short:
    “I will work for national reconciliation”
    I don’t know what reconciliation agenda he has, but I would like to hear from him.

    I don’t think your comments on his role during the war is appropriate either. His stand was clear: once we sacrificed that many lives, we should not stop the war short of a decisive victory. This placed him at logger heads with Meles. (No need to mention the consequences)

    His position on access to the sea, and other issues ( he read in the court, for which he was kept in solitary confinement) were clear. In my view, that is the reason why many Ethiopians now say, “LET’S GIVE HIM A CHANCE”.

    I would like you to keep your comments until you hear directly from him in a matter of days. Let’s see if he is for a genuine reconciliation or not.

  7. I listened to the interview VOA had with Siye Abreha after his release from prison. Any body who knows him can see that he has learnt to be humble and seems ready for compromise. But there is this thing that comes to my mind always when I think of the days when Siye used to serve as the defence minister or a warrior. He once said EPRDF does not only know how to win a war but also how to make it. This is what he said at a time when they were cracking down on the OLF led insurgency to topple the EPRDF/TPLF regime by the use of fire arms and popular uprising. I want to know if he can come forward with an explanation on his past stance and how he intends to heal the hearts and minds he helped damage during his tenure. Other wise there are many pure young minds that can take that country forward and fulfil the ambitions of its people for durable peace and prosperity.

  8. Let us inject a bit of dynamism in our arguments.

    Siye Abraha, the head of the splinter group, had nothing substantial to say during the split of TPLF into two camps except the Eritrean war. No one including Siye himself went beyond criticisms of the way the war was consummated. It was not a split on party lines. It was not anger towards TPLF and its crimes since they got to power. It was not to radically change the ways of TPLF. It was just this Eritrean war. And that is why all the fiasco ended with imprisonment of Siye and his close friends for reasons of corruption.. They had to be locked up because they had nothing substantial to say against the government but aggravate public discontent against the government. For Meles and co, they were sacrificial lamb to muzzle the Ethiopian people. Siye and co were used to cover up all their past gross mistakes.

    Remember also Siye’s turn to the opposition groups at that time was seen as treason by TPLF members, EPRDF supporters and those leaning towards the left. The opposition was portrayed as right wing “nationalists” by the media and international as well. We would like to add, Elias don’t make a mountain out of the opposition groups, and they yet have to shed off this rightwing image they have been carrying for the past 16 or so.

    Why does Siye want to address the Ethiopian people today? We know a bit about this. Unlike yesteryears, he has quite few things to say against the EPRDF government. He talked about the rule of law, multinational parties rather than ethnic parties, human right abuse that must stop etc. Any crack in the TPLF camp should be embraced, if you know politics. He was one of the top officials of the EPRDF government; who has quite few supporters and is a genuine opposition. Siye abraha may not be a nationalist hero whatever; he has to be heard at least.

    And what do you mean by a nationalist hero? If you mean Siye is still TPLF at heart, this is not true. You are wrong. And with whom are you comparing Siye with, Tewodros, or emeye minilik? Why not compare him with Hailu Shawel or Birhanu nega ? Do we have to have nationalist heroes at this moment or are you looking for one today? You must see that this search for heroes is causing us many problems; cult worship (example, Meles, hailu shawel, Lidetu ayalew etc.) Dependence on high flown words like hero and nationalist are not what Ethiopia needs at the moment. What Ethiopia needs is collective leadership.

  9. I share your point. Why should he be a hero? Can those pro siye websites give us just one reason to prove their position. I dont even have any idea if he revoked his TPLF memebership.

  10. Hi Elias, this is a spectacular perspective. Seye and his companions are responsible for causing the war by clinging to misguided relationship with Eritrea. In addition he is accountable for huge human loss during Ethio-Eritrea war by placing loyalists in high military posts. If it was not for their pitiable combat strategy tens of thousands of soldiers would be among us. Let alone with out an apology, even if he had expressed regret, it would not be enough to make him a hero. If he really has regrets, he needs to prove it in action. Otherwise we shall not be ladders for him to restore power.

  11. I agree absolutley. He needs to make many explanations. We need to know about his deeds before he was sent to jail. As mentioned, the Etho-Eritean war is one of the crimes which was commited by him and his co-woyanes. We need to hear his position and his opinion on a number of issues.

    Thanks ER

  12. I absolutely agree with Elias. He has to first speak out boldly his plan, interest, his old mistakes and ask aplogy to the Ethiopian people. Jailed for years is not the smallest measurement to be a hero

  14. That is true Elias. But if you dare to put Isaias as some one who did good for Ethiopia why not Siye? Atleast he calls Ethiopia home. It is good that we see the Woyane officials divide. That would by itself challenge the TPLF and will help the democratizaion process. I am not saying he is a hero, but we can hear what he says and use him for our cause without making ourselves vulnerable.

  15. Dear Elias
    Let us first hear what he has to say don’t prejudge him. It is very easy to say one or two sitting in america breathing nicely. Who are u to blame others?

  16. Good point Elias, 15 or 16 years ago when OLF and TPLF start fighting, Siye had an interview on the national tv, every one who watched that interview would know his personality. the way he boasted and scorned the oromo people was unforgotten. just because he spent in jail for six years doesn’t make him free from the the blood of innocent Ethiopians. he has to be held accountable for his part. he would be doing the same thing Meles doing right now if he was in power.
    thank you Elias good job.

  17. Yes, this is the right thing that must be resolved beforehand. We should think of a democratic Ethiopia where everyone one should be held accountable for all wrongdoings while appreciating the good deeds. Even if they apologise, they should first pay the price. There is no way a murderer be a hero. There is no such a national hero swam in a blood of 70000 innocents. We have to stop somewhere and teach them that they were killers and these shouldn’t happen again.

  19. I completely agree, he is not a hero at all. In fact he was one of the evils strived for the Tigrian supremacy. Being jailed for the wrong reason does not make him a hero. He did not do any good for Ethiopia. My people; be so cautious. If he regrets what he had done and vows to make right what he had done wrong, then we could forgive him. Otherwise he is still a Woyane.

  20. yes, siye Abraha doesn’t deserve any attention , and he is not a national hero. He is accountable for a lot of political and ethnic crisis. He was/is one of the ethnocentric minded person in the Woyane clique. He was considering himself and his group as special races. groups, and even he made the military institution to be only the office of Only Tgrians in most important positions. I have a very strong and personal evidence for this. He was so corrupted and have had a number of euro-trucks and other hidden businesses. He is accountable for the death of nearly 80,000 poor Ethiopian sons, and for the wasteful war. He must have been feeling shame for his plan to meet Ethiopians in his tour in US or Europe, is considering these people he wants to meet artificials. What does he have to tell us and share us? He was/is anti-Ethiopian sentiments, who is he to approach us after he scrambled,,are we the garbage stores that we receive them such stupid, promiscuous, narrow minded, and killers like Siye. Finally, getting banned or fired from WOyane service, and staying in jails or being insulted and criticized by Meles, doesn’t help one to qualify for acceptance by the victims, what is counting on is the crimes and wrong doings he did during his leadership times, and even his ways of thinking and attitude he had count more for me as he used them to harass, discriminate,degrade others.He was the one time promoter of the Tigrians and his group as the only brave and good fighters, and he used to look down others. Whatever, he wants to tell us is a mere excuse for his still deep seated negative thoughts and a defense mechanism. He is the most stupid killer, and he deserves no attention.

  21. Dear Elias,

    You hit the nail on the head. Siye is no better than the butcher of Addis himself. He is far from being a hero. A hero is someone with a distinguished bravery and strength, with selfless, caring and responsible traits. Had Siye been not at loggerheads with Meles, he would have been the very person who would order Agazi baby-killers to kill and maim innocent people all over the country. As Elias put it rightly, Siye should be accounted for the loss of 70,000 lives.Distancing himself from Meles now can not make him in any way to evade responsibility. Time to face the music will come soon.

  23. Seye is not a hero. Seye and his faction went out of woyane’s camp because of their power greed not in favour of Ethiopian unity that they worked day and night to destroy. May the God of Ethiopia restore our nation.

  25. Elias, then how come you had Esayas Afewrki as one of the choice for person of year? was not he part of the problem in the Ethiopia-Eritrea war of 1998? Either you have to condemn all who took part in it or you should give the same chance to all without taking a side. Besides at least Seya stood firm against Meles when it comes to Ethiopia’s interest whereas Esayas is working 24/7 to harm Ethiopia. If you have questions, then you should be in the meeting and ask him tough questions. Otherwise, you should stop blaming other website for anouncing the meeting.

  26. You also forgot the fact that he is one of the archtects of woyanes who signed the land locked status of Ethiopia with his 10 fingers before the united nation and now he is presenting himself as a hero. Oh Almighyty!!! forgive us please! As a matter of facts Siye Abraha also advocated that ethiopa colonized eritrea and the eritrean question was that of a colony issue and he fought in nakfa against ethiopa.

  27. Take five for this geniun comment. Really you are always exceptional (although I don’t agree on some issues you raised). We should test his back ground. He should confess the mistakes he made. Atleast he has to recognise the willingly done ones.

  28. he is just a soldier. I don’t think he can be a politician. He doesnot have any persuasive language skills also. Moreover, the points you have raised should be underlined… He should apologise for the ethiopian people if he thinks he made dicisions as a politician. Otherwise he might have fullfilled his duties as a soldier and will continue to do so.

  29. Elias,
    Please give Siye second chance.I have heard him begging for the second chance in his VOA INTERVIEW. Every bobdy deserves a second chance.
    My second point is let’s hear from him again. If he is concilliatory, I think that is another way of apology.

  34. We have some problem all around. We most of us had portrayed Dr Taye W/sema as a hero because he was locked by woyane. This kind of distorted and misguided conception we have had is inflating the egos of many of these people like Dr Taye as if they are loved ones. I was telling at several times that we have to stop this kind of mis conceptions. We most of us know now where we are with people like Dr Taye and his colleagues. I have no exception to alert when it comes to Seye Abraha as well until he made public apology and tell his clear positions to our future struggles.
    Thanks for surfacing this issue which is really very important that every one of us should learn how to treat and raise people.

  35. u are right, he would have led the Addis and Ogaden massacres if still in position, just opposing the government after ejected with out achieving nothing good to the ppl doesn’t make him a hero at all,

  36. Ato Siye has committed so many crimes in the country. For instance he was one of the TPLF clique who committed the crime: making the country landlocked, for the death of 70,000 citizens for aimless war, monopolizing the country’s economy under TPLF companies, practicining of ethnocentric politics, unlimitted corruption etc… We can count so many crimes that TPLF cliques have been committing in the country since 1991. Thus, it is shame to say he is a national hero. Ato Siye is trying to fool Ethiopian people for the second time.

    Ethiopian will prevail.

    Nahom(TD)

  37. It is a pity that we have such a short memory and gallible -Siye Abraha was one of the most arrogant Woyane who bullied just about everyone during his tenure as the TPLF politburo member. He is only here talking to us due to his falling out with his murderous leader Meles Zenawi – Siye felt so important that he started to show rivalry to Meles and the Adwa thugs. Meles the tyrant is cruel but intelligent – on the contrary Siye is brutal and not so intelligent. When it comes to cruelity towards Ethiopia and Ethiopians, they are one and the same. Siye is equally responsible for the killing of hundreds and thousands of Ethiopians and responsible for the looting of Ethiopia.

    Siye’s arrogance even trickled down to his brothers, sisters and nephews that all of whom acted rude and most of all cruel. I only wish to remember one of his role as Board chairman of the Ethiopian Airlines where he acted so out of control and laughable – a friend of mine referred to him as King Bokassa. I will get to the details of what this guy has done in many other occasions in the future – but wish to remind Ethiopians in Diaspora that Siye is one criminal who has yet to be tried for the crimes aginst Ethiopians by the future Democratic Ethiopia.

    His brother Assefa Abraha who is still in prison was also anothr character – they both seem to belong to characters from George Orwell’s “Animal Farm”.

    Fellow Ethiopians celebrating this guy is so misguided that we are mocking fellow Ethiopians who were and still are there victims.

  38. May be we agree today in this point. I knew what he did. He was opening his mouth with out limit when he was in power. He is no more good citizen of this country let alone to be called national hero.

  39. Of course, and indeed, we do agree to what presented about Isye’s role and participation not only for applying the obselete battle tactic which had resulted in the lose of the most precious and priceless blood of Ethiopians, he must also be facing the questions from all Ethiopians why wasn’t he with Ethiopians when Ethiopia was attacked all sorts of eenemies, mainly by Shabya?

    If we mean and serious about Ethiopia of the past and Eethiopia of the present, and Ethiopia in the future, every single question we aske him must anchored and based on beginning the past to the present day, meaning, we must ask him by starting from the past, not either from the middle or from the acme of the problem.

    He is free to ask Ethiopians what they did to prevent Ethiopia from falling into the hands of Meles Naziawi and wwe will ask him what he did to prevent Ethiopia from falling into the murderous hands of woyanetplf boss that hitler Meles Zinawi. If he proves to Ethiopians that he did he could like the rest of Ethiopians who gave their priceless lives to saving and protecting Ethiopia from being captured and squeezed to her bone, he should be ready to address the issue to all Ethiopians and clear his name for once and for all.

  40. That\’s right he is one of the biggest criminals of the regime & what makes him different from addisu legesse and others
    is that is is\’nt living in the pallace of woyanne….

  41. ER, I fully agree with you on this but not always. Syie must apologize Ethiopian people before he is calling any public meeting. If I go to this meeting, definitely I will challenge him. He can not be a hero while he had blood on his hand. The least he can do is apologize to Ethiopian people then individual’s decide to follow him or not in his future vision or political struggle.
    KT

  42. That is my position, too. Let all of us raise the question; what did Siye does as a top EPRDF/Woyane official to deserve our ears at his meetings? First of all, he was part of a dictatorial rule that is responsible for the killings of thousands and arrests and tortures of millions. It started from day one. He approved the Eritrean session. He was part of the ruling party who killed many when AAU students took the streets to express their disapproval of the way the Eritrean questions was being handled.

    Second, as ex-chairman of the Ethiopian Airlines board, he nearly “killed” the Airline. Can you imagine Siye, a guerilla fighter leading one of the toughest, the most competitive and dynamic industry in the world? That was a deliberate plan to kill the Ethiopian Airlines because it promotes Ethiopia.

    Third, he was a top official of a ruling party that grossly abuses human and democratic rights. These massive violations throughout the country are well documented and reported by several leading human rights advocates, organizations, and the U.S. Department of State. There is no way Siye should get away with it.

    Fourth, he was part of a ruling party that represses the rights of expression ad organization. Thousands of journalists were arrested, detained, tortured, and even killed during his tenure as a top Woyane official. To claim that he is not responsible is to claim that he was not a top official at all during those times. The fact as we know is he did.

    Fifth, he and his party led Ethiopians to a war with no purpose. As W/o Aregash and Ato Gebru admitted on VOA, Woyane didn’t do anything to straighten relationships with Eritrea at the right time [when Eritrea became a state] and didn’t deal with the border and other issues including Ethiopia’s rights to access to ports (either Massawa or Assab). This is a total negligence, incompetence, and failure on the part of Woyane, if not a deliberate move to “kill” Ethiopia. Siye can be no different. He is responsible for the war with Eritrea because his administration failed to deal with border and port issues at the right time.

    Sixth, he is responsible for the deaths of close to 100,000 Ethiopians during the war with Eritrea. He was part of the military central command that used human beings (Ethiopian kids) to detonate land mines by running over explosives. The military tactic (human wave) is an archaic tactic well known for causing high causality. The dead and the injured didn’t receive due respect and attention. Their families were left alone. Millions of dollars collected from the people was not reported or audited. The list can go on and on…

    The bottom line is Siye is responsible for all these and the attempt to portray him as a hero is only pathetic.

  43. Yes, Elias. I agree with you. Ato Siye was the most arrogant person, even more than Meles before he was arrested. It is after thrown out from power he tried to say Weyane is bad. Would he say this had he been in power? I am sure, no. Beccause his friends who are still in power are performing their mission against Ethiopia and its people. I see no difference between him and them.
    I will go to the meeting, but it is to thank Meles for arresting him and enabling him to think as Ethiopia and great people of Tigrian, enen though his charges were fabricated and false. I wish Meles arrests all of them who serve him.

    But I still hope that, as coming from the great people and born and grown on the land of Alula, he would not die in this name and deed. He has a lot of time and potential to contribute to the demorcacy and sovereignty of Ehtiopia. And I am sure we all support and stand at his side.

  44. Yes. What you said is absolutely true. I feel sorry that we are people who forget what happened yesterday and carried over on what is happening to day.

    Keep up the good work.

  45. Elia, agree with your stand. He was in jail for six years not becouse of a national or public ajenda. It was only becouse of internal power or financial struggle. Didn’t he contributed a lot to make Ethiopia a land locked country? We can mention thousends of blames upon him. He must make a public apology for the enormous death and destruction he had caused as one of the top TPLF leaders and for all crimes he made to the Country.

  46. Elias, I agree with you that Ato Siye is no hero of what so ever type. Nevertheless, their are two things I’m not sharing with you. The identity of Ato Siye is not evaluated from the perespective of Ethio-Eritrean conflict. One single individual is not answerable to that and Eritrean issue needs to be adressed a little differently. I don’t know why you picked the Eritrean issue to condemn Ato Siye. The second issue here is a question of being a hero or not a hero. Why in the first place you assumed that he maybe a hero? Is it because he was a war lord? For me a hero of a nation is someone who sacrificed his entire life for the benefit of his country: Nelson Mandela. Dont misuse the term. For me Ato Siye is one simple individual, I mean, as far as the political problem of Ethiopia is concerned. As an ordinary Ethiopian, what does this person has to tell us in ameeting? What do we expect from someone who had been part of a political force that distracted a nation to its bottom? etc. I don’t give Ato Siye any value with regard to the durable democratic solution that our people are seeking to achieve. His accountability can not be overshadowed by the term he served in jail, for reason he and Meles know. No hero, no Eritrea, please lets treat our own issue in our own teritory.

  47. Mr. Editor:

    There is much legitimacy in your demand. Seye has to do first-thing-first. If he choses the DC event as his forum to explain the past and to launch his “new” vision, so be it.

    Seye’s VOA interview immediately after prison makes me wnat to listen to him more. I am one ot the growing number of Ethiopians who believe in second chances and in expanding circle of friends. What an interesting departure from the past intransignt political culture. Yeah, I will go listen…and thank u so much for bringing out issues that others are timid about.

  48. I agree with you, that’s why i disagree with you standing up with Isayas Afeworki as some one who did good for Ethiopia and Ethiopians in 2007.But if i get a chance to ask him questions i would.

  50. It takes courage to take a principled stand. At a time when most of us afraid to tell the truth or to say it as we see it, you have my admiration for telling the truth about Seye: He is the one in the forefront of the war to dismember Ethiopa. He is the one who believed in The Tigray Liberation Front’s progrmme: Independance of Eriteria, the formation of Tigrian Republic, The brake up Ethiopia. Equally important is his accusation of Amhara for the plight of Tigtres and the other ethnnic group.

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