By Teodros Kiros
The dark days of November 2005
It was 5 years ago on “November 1, 2005, that the ruling Tigrean People Liberation Front (Woyanne) under the leadership of Meles Zenawi unleashed a new form of terror on the people of Ethiopia. The repercussion of the terror campaign is still felt throughout Ethiopia and around the world, wherever Ethiopians reside.
Following the May 5, 2005, elections, before the votes were counted, Meles declared victory and suspended his own constitution, stripping the people of Ethiopia the right to free speech, and other basic civil rights.
When Ethiopians peacefully protested the regime’s actions, Meles responded by giving a shoot-to-kill order to his death squads. Meles Zenawi’s forces gunned down hundreds of unarmed citizens, rounded up over 40,000 young Ethiopians and sent them to detention camps in remote parts of the country. Meles also ordered the shutting down of independent newspapers and the arrest of their staff. November 2005 was one of the darkest moments in Ethiopia’s history.
Ethiopians around the world remember the November 2005 massacre, the victims of the TPLF regime for the past 20 years by honoring the martyrs who paid the ultimate price and by also resolving to intensify the struggle for freedom and democracy against the anti-Ethiopia minority ethnic dictatorship of Meles Zenawi.
Birtukan Medeksa, the symbol of MAAT, characteristically modest, moderate and brilliant was one of the victims of the dark days of remember. She was among those who were imprisoned for challenging the outcomes of the November election and became a beacon of change. The regime imprisoned her twice and now Birtukan is on her way to America for psychological treatment. Most of the heroes of November are now residing in America and Europe and desperately trying to revive the sunny moments of 2005.
These were the dark days of Ethiopian politics. The darkness that hovered over the Ethiopian nation is now twilight. Silenced voices hover the cemeteries of the dead. Those who remain are profoundly dismayed. We must ask, however, where are the voices of the taxi drivers who protested.
Where are those five million Ethiopians who protested against the rigged elections, and were called hooligans, although they were classical protestors who challenged the regime and refused to be silenced by guns.
The voices of 2005 are very much like the Egyptian voices of 2011, but their heroism did not get the media attention that the Arab world is rightly getting.
History demands of us that we remember these dark days as we engage the prevailing regime to meet us on the streets of democracy for regime change.
We appeal to the regime in the name of love of country to step down peacefully and give the Ethiopian people new voices of deciding their destiny. We must trust the people to articulate dispassionately an Ethiopian voice and frame a vision of a participatory and deliberative democracy in which merit and service to country are the new criteria by which leadership is measured and distributed.
Our guiding principle ought to be the liberation of the people is the activity of the people and their activity can be organized by a genuine participatory and deliberative democracy.
A future article will examine the structure of a new political party, which will organize a disciplined people’s uprising.
6 thoughts on “The Voices of 2005”
Stop begging! It will not get you anything, the woyane will never give up power voluntarily. Its best to discuss what needs to be done to save the nation.
It would be imperative if people who write so many powerful articles/issue were able be deliver the same message in both Languages(Amharic & English)so that it will have a chance to reach Amharic readers back in Ethiopia.I know it may not be possible for the writers themselves to do it in both languages(time consuming) but somebody else could help after getting the consent of the original writer. I wish I do it because it is my strong believe it need to be done but I am not good at it.
Thank you Teodros!
EVERY TYRANT HAVE AN EXPIRATION DATE, LIKE SPOILED MILK.
The heart breaking lose, grief, agony, DESPAIR & TEARS of the ETHIOPIAN MOTHERS, SISTERS & WIVES, who LOST their LOVING sons, daughters, husbands, fathers & brothers to TPLF machine guns on the streets & dungeons of Ethiopia, will hunt down & decimate TPLF, like all genocidal juntas all over the world.
Please allow me to say that if you guys think the weyane junta will step down in a peaceful domonstration you guys must be dreaming or sleeping.Because these guys have no friends,around them so the only way they can sarvive is to hold on the power sa much as they can hold they will do what ever it takes to stay in the power they got in to the power by fighting so the must be out of the power by force.The big question is is the ethiopian people ready to use their force?Are they ready to say enough is enough?The answer is ———-that means it is very hard to answer these quation because they had a chance in 2005 but they blow it so that makes different in 2011?in my opinion I would say don’t wait to any ones support do it yourselve no one will give you a hand unless they will get something in return.
So the solution is to have confidence on yourselves.
I heard people blaming CUD leaders mainly for their division which happened after the election but, I say what possibly could they do
and they won the election through peaceful election free and fair
if the ruling regime was not ready to deliver power to the people
that was the reason people got killed and the CUD leaders went to
prison can you imagine most CUD leadership are already old but very
strong even though they could not succeed to give power to the people
they made sure the new generation will bring democratic change soon
or later and today the ethiopian people are ready to make a change
more than ever. This regime also knows they can’t continue this way
and time is up but it’s a question of when they may use power today
and tomorrow but they can’t use power all the time and enough is
enough twenty years is a very long time to lead this people this way.
WoW : This african leaders have the same kind of disease {Keep power no matter
what} Look what is happening in Ivory Coast the ruling class already admits
loosing but to give power is impossible and so many people are dying in the
process. Don’t you guys think it’s a disease and a same thing happened to the
Ethiopian people Five years ago lots of people paid a price with there life
now with out any shame the ruling class want to tell Ethiopians to participate
in another shame election with out no regard then don’t you think with no doubt this is a disease.