In September 2006, Ethiopian Review had called on the opposition parties to set up a transitional government in exile. Three years later, the parties are still unable to come together and create a viable alternative that can replace the Woyanne tribal regime without engulfing Ethiopia in crisis.
Now, more than ever, conditions are conducive to create a transitional government in exile in order to facilitate a regime change in Ethiopia. There is a new player in the field, Ginbot 7, a legitimate successor to Kinijit, that has a cohesive and dynamic leadership. The Ethiopian People’s Patriotic Front (EPPF), an armed resistance group, is stronger than ever with several thousand well trained fighters. OLF, TPDM, and ONLF have strong military presence inside Ethiopia. The only thing missing is a unified political and military leadership that is able to present itself to the people of Ethiopia and that international community that there is an alternative to the Woyanne regime.
A revised version of what Ethiopian Review proposed in 2006
The government in exile is necessary for the following reasons:
1) highlights the illegitimacy of the dictatorship in power.
2) its presence helps exert increasing international and domestic pressure on the dying regime, expediting its inevitable fall down.
3) serves as a rallying point for the people of Ethiopia.
4) the international community will see that there is a better alternative that will be able to bring democracy, peace and stability in the Horn of Africa region.
5) there will be a planned, smooth transition of power, avoiding potential chaos.
6) defeats the Meles regime’s “divide and conquer” strategy.
Planning the government in exile starting now will give time for thorough discussions among the political parties, scholars, and the public at large. There is nothing to be gained by waiting.
Structure of the proposed Transitional Government
A proposal by Ethiopian Review
The Transitional Government will be headed by a five-member Presidency Council–a president and four vice-presidents.
The Presidency Council (PC) will have a three-year term. At the end of the three-year term, there will be a national election under a new constitution.
The presidency rotates every 12-month.
Decisions in the PC will be made by consensus.
The PC’s decisions will be carried out by a Council of Ministers.
The Council of Ministers (CM) will be composed of a prime minister (PM) and two deputy prime ministers (DPMs).
The PM and DPMs will be appointed by the PC.
Prime Minister –
Deputy Prime Minister –
Deputy Prime Minister –
Minister of Defense –
Minister of Foreign Affairs –
Minister of Justice –
Minister of Interior –
Minister of Finance –
Minister of Agriculture –
Minister of Industry –
The rest of the CM members will be appointed by the PM with the consent of the PC and the DPMs.
The CM will serve during the three-year transition period.
The PC’s primary task will be to prepare the country for elections within three years.
In preparation for the elections, the PC will:
1. create an election committee composed of one representative from each party, including those that are not part of the PC.
2. convene a Constitutional Convention (CC) composed of representatives from each woreda (district) of the country, as well as representatives of civic, religious, labor, and other groups.
Activities while in exile
1. The Transitional Government in exile, upon its formation, will contact all governments around the world and seek recognition as the legitimate government of Ethiopia.
2. Merge the EPPF, OLF, ONLF, TPDM, and SLF fighters under one unified command to be named Ethiopian Armed Forces.
3. Contact each military officer in the army under the Meles regime and persuade him/her to join the legitimate Ethiopian Armed Forces.
4. All the ministers in the Transitional Government in Exile will start to carry out their responsibilities. For example, the Minister of Foreign Affair will mobilize international support for the government in exile; the Minister of Justice will investigate officials of the Meles regime for crimes against humanity and corruption; the Ministers of Finance, Industry and Agriculture will create an economic team that will prepare a plan on how to grow the country’s economy during the transition period; etc
The danger of not setting up a government in exile
1. When the Meles regime collapses, chaos could reign in the country for several days, or weeks. A well executed plan by the transitional government in exile will prevent that.
2. The Meles regime will continue to incite ethnic conflict.
3. An unknown armed force could come to power and install another dictatorship.
4. The unity of Ethiopia will be in grave danger as ethnic-based parties become militarily and politically more powerful and decide to stick to their independence agenda when they see for them no political space under the Ethiopian tent. The Transitional Government will give political space for these ethnic-based parties to address the concerns and grievances of their constituencies under a united Ethiopia using democratic means such as elections, courts, dialogue, etc.
{www:Ginbot 7} high ranking official Ato Andargachew Tsige was interviewed by the VOA today to answer the latest allegations by Ethiopia’s dictatorial regime.
In a press conference today, Woyanne regime’s propaganda chief Bereket Simon told reporters that Ginbot 7 did not try to over thrown the government, but it had attempted to assassinate regime officials.
It is to be remembered that earlier this week, the Woyanne regime issued a statement saying that Ginbot 7’s plot to overthrow the government was foiled.
Ato Andargachew’s 80-year-old father, who had a heart bypass surgery recently, is one of the 40 suspects the Woyanne regime has thrown in jail accusing them of plotting to carry out assassinations.
Listen to Ato Andargachew’s interview below:
[podcast]http://www.ethiopianreview.info/audio/voa-05012009-amha1800a.mp3[/podcast]
We, members of the Debre Berhan St. Ourael Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, are blessed to announce the inaugural ceremony of our new church in St. Paul Minnesota that will be hold on May 16 and 17.
In the last four years we had the privilege to worship every Sunday morning at a different location in St. Paul and Minneapolis at diverse facilities provided by generous God-loving Minnesota communities, including the St. Luke Lutheran Church, St. George Ukrainian Orthodox Church and St. Mary Greek Orthodox Church. Now, we have found our own place to praise our lord located in the center of the Twin Cities.
We cordially invite you to join us on the inaugural celebration in the presence of His holiness Abune Merkorios, Patriarch of Ethiopia, accompanied by archbishops, bishops, priests, deacons, parish council representatives, all coming to the great state of Minnesota from different countries such as Europe, Canada and the United States of America. Please be
part of the celebration and witness with us this historical Ethiopian community event.
God bless you.
The Parish Council
Saint Ourael Ethiopian Orthodox Church
Saturday, May 16, 2009, 4pm-7pm
Sunday, May 17, 2009, 8am-11.30am
Place: 1144 Earl street, St. Paul, MN 55106
Phone (651)771-7129
The Ethiopian People Patriotic Front’s (EPPF) freedom fighters have attacked a {www:Woyanne} regime’s military unit near northern Ethiopian towns of Dansha and Tegede killing 14 soldiers and confiscating several weapons.
According to the {www:EPPF} military communique that was issued this week by the press office, following the attack on Woyanne forces, over 20 residents in the area have joined the EPPF army.
Ethiopian Review sources in northern {www:Gonder} are reporting that the Woyanne regime has sent military reinforcement to the area and house-to-house searches are being conducted in some parts of the region.
For more information, visit EPPF’s official web site: eppfonline.org
ADDIS ABABA (AFP) — Senior military officers in Ethiopia, including a general, had plotted to assassinate top government officials, Communications Minister Bereket Simon said Friday, adding that 40 people [including 80-year-old father of an opposition party leader] were under arrest.
“While six of the suspects were army officers on active duty, including one general, 34 of the suspects were ex-army men expelled from the army on grounds of misconduct,” he told a press conference.
Bereket said the plotters belonged to the {www:Ginbot 7} (May 15) opposition group, saying it was linked to the Coalition for Unity and Democracy (CUD) headed by {www:Berhanu Nega}, currently living in the United States.
He said the government believed that the “desperado” group was not planning to stage a coup, but intended “assassinating individuals, high ranking government officials and destroying some public facilities and utilities … like telecom services and electricity utilities.
“The police have also found evidence implicating some ex-CUD members released on pardon. With the exception of some three or four of the desperado group who are still at large, the police have arrested almost all members of the conspiracy.”
Berekt told AFP the government knew about the plot from its inception, adding, “If there had been laxity from the government, there would have been problems.”
The mass arrests were reported on Sunday by state media, which said the National Security Taskforce had also found weapons including bombs, computers and communications equipment, military uniforms and documents.
The CUD won an unprecedented number of seats in the May 15, 2005 elections, which the European Union and other observers said fell short of international standards.
Around 200 people died in violence that erupted after the CUD accused the party of Prime Minister Meles Zenawi of rigging the ballot.
Berhanu, 51, currently a university professor in the United States, was elected mayor of Addis Ababa in the polls. He was subsequently jailed for two years along with other leaders of the CUD, and left the country after his release.
Ethiopia’s next general election is scheduled to be held in June 2010.
In a statement on its website following the initial reports of arrests Ginbot 7 said it “has no desire to engage in a tit-for-tat with the dictators in Addis Ababa, nor the time to waste replying to baseless accusations by a regime that rules Ethiopia by the barrel of the gun.”
“Ginbot 7 remains committed to work for the establishment of democracy, respect for human rights and the rule of law in Ethiopia. No amount of scurrilous accusations, threats or blackmail by the regime will deter us from pursuing the cause of democracy and freedom,” it added.
Bereket said evidence showed the plotters aimed “to create conducive conditions for large scale chaos and havoc. ”
“Assassinating people was intended as a preliminary measure” to street actions similar to those of 2005, he charged.
“Berhanu Nega is the mastermind, he’s deeply involved in it, and he’s not anyway vehemently denying it. Nega has been saying that anything that can be done to bring down this government is welcome.”
The minister said some of those arrested were “disgruntled” at reforms launched in the army.
“Our army is in a very good shape,” he asserted, saying it was “based on democratic and constitutional values.”
Bereket said preparations were under way to prosecute the “suspected terrorists” and a court hearing was planned for May 11.
EMF reports that Dr. {www:Berhanu Nega}, Chairman of {www:Ginbot 7} Movement for Justice Freedom and Democracy, an Ethiopian opposition party, will be traveling to Europe at the end May for talks with officials of European governments about the ongoing political turmoil in Ethiopia.
Meetings have been scheduled in France, Norway, Brussels, Sweden, Germany and The Netherlands.
Dr Berhanu will also meet Ethiopians in European cities to discuss on current issue. Details of the tour will be posted soon on Ginbot 7’s web site.
The worsening political crisis in Ethiopia is creating a serious concern among the governments of Western countries. According to EMF sources, the US state department has contacted Dr. Berhanu Nega last week for discussion. The British authorities have contacted Ato Andargachew Tsege, Ginbot 7 high ranking officials, for talks.
Meanwhile, the Woyanne tribal regime in Ethiopia continues its witch-hunt against non-Tigrean members of the armed forces. Several officers with different ranks are being rounded up suspected of supporting Ginbot 7.
This coming Sunday, May 3, Ginbot 7 will hold a town hall meeting in Washington DC. Visit ginbot7.org for more information.
{www:Ginbot 7} high ranking official Ato Andargachew Tsige was interviewed by the VOA today to answer the latest allegations by Ethiopia’s dictatorial regime.
The Ethiopian People Patriotic Front’s (EPPF) freedom fighters have attacked a {www:Woyanne} regime’s military unit near northern Ethiopian towns of Dansha and Tegede killing 14 soldiers and confiscating several weapons.
EMF reports that Dr. {www:Berhanu Nega}, Chairman of {www:Ginbot 7} Movement for Justice Freedom and Democracy, an Ethiopian opposition party, will be traveling to Europe at the end May for talks with officials of European governments about the ongoing political turmoil in Ethiopia.