Ethiopian Review Editorial
It is not a secret that the United Ethiopian Democratic Forces (UEDF) is waging an all out attack against the Alliance for Freedom and Democracy (AFD), a coalition of EPPF, Kinijit, OLF, ONLF and SLF. UEDF had participated in the conference in the Netherlands when the agreement was made to form the AFD. But its representatives failed to sign the memorandum of understanding that created the alliance asking a one-month period to think about it. The one-month has come and gone, but UEDF is more determined than ever about not only rejecting the AFD, but also vigorously fighting to destroy it.
At first, UEDF was citing procedural matters for its unwillingness to be part of the AFD. When that argument didn’t get any traction, they come up with the following arguments:
1. The Alliance doesn’t protect the sovereignty of Ethiopia.
2. It doesn’t have “Ethiopia” in its name.
3. AFD’s memorandum of understanding accepts the existing constitution.
4. It was formed under the auspices of the Issayas Afeworki regime.
UEDF is being criticized by many that the real reason it is opposing the Alliance is because it is not leading it. ER doesn’t want to question the motives of UEDF leaders. But the arguments they presented against the AFD so far have not been persuasive enough. UEDF was in fact working hard to help create a similar alliance that would have involved all the parties that are now members of the AFD. Some of UEDF’s member organizations themselves accept the existing constitution, including the Article 39 that allows ethnic groups to secede from Ethiopia.
What prompted ER to write this commentary is UEDF’s recent statement that condemns that the desecration of the Ethiopian flag in Asmera after a video surfaced in the Internet that shows the flag was being stomped on at a recent event. A lot of people have pointed out that the video was doctored by TPLF agents, whose leader Meles Zenawi ridiculed our flag as a “piece of cloth” (cherq). The purpose of UEDF’s statement was to link the alleged incident with the AFD, and insinuate that AFD is an anti-Ethiopia coalition. We expect the UEDF leaders to be the last to be manipulated by a TPLF propaganda war. In their single-minded focus on discrediting AFD, and running out of persuasive arguments, they are falling into the TPLF trap.
As a political organization, UEDF must respect and abide by the desire of the people. Currently, what the people of Ethiopia desire is a united front of all opposition parties that can remove the Meles brutal dictatorship. The AFD is the only organized force that can back up its political and diplomatic efforts with a military force. For the past 15 years, the opposition camp did not have such a combination of united political and military force. We have it now. Unfortunately, UEDF is unintentionally providing aid to the Meles dictatorship by attacking this united force–the Alliance for Unity and Democracy.
ER once again is urging the UEDF leaders to reconsider their position and join the Alliance.
The pressure should not be on UEDF alone. ER has observed that OLF and Kinijit have not been accommodative to UEDF’s concerns. They have not even been willing to spend sufficient time to consider some of UEDF’s legitimate concerns. Hopefully, this will be corrected.
3 thoughts on “Is UEDF running out of arguments against AFD?”
AFD, as we all of us aware of it is a coalition of political organiztions with a separatist agenda except kinijit. Some of them are waging armed struggle and deny the existance of Ethiopia. I have got to raise some points regarding this agreement.
1. Do the organizations involved in this agreement have common agenda? An organization that beleives strongly in ethiopian unity and others of separatist movement.
2. The means of struggle of kinijit is peacefull and constitutional. Others are involved in armed struggle.
3. The basis of Kinjit formation was that of political organiztions that are multi ethnic.
4. The agreement is out of the sprit of kinijit and ethiopian people that gave vote to kinijit.
What ethiopian people needs is not only get ride of Woyane but also unity, liberty, prosperity and democracy thereafter. You always write about getting ride of woyane by any means. But you don’t think what will happen then. I don’t like from ethiopian politicians that they use any means to achieve some goal. Then the ethiopian people bears the consequences. Woyane joined shabya, the enemy of ethiopia, to achieve its limmited and narrower goal. ‘Yetim fichiw duketun amchiw’ is not acceptable.
I agree with UEDF’s four points. In addition the so called AFD is a cover up name for internal (within Ethiopia) anti-Ethiopia groups. As Zed said these groups do not like the existance of Ethiopia. They hate anything that
mentions Ethiopia. They do not like the national language,
the flag, the popopler tradition, they do not like to be called Ethiopian etc. Today’s AFD are tomorrow’s Ethiopia headache. I do not want to say in general but watch out some people from Wolega. They are completely anti-Ethiopia and hate Amahara to their bones.
We have to choose one of the means of struggle. otherwise it is not possible to sit in parlament and conduct armed struggle at the same time.This quation doesn’t need any public opinion, if Kinijit is a real political party lead by matured poloticians.