By Ali Yare,
The creation of the People’s Alliance for Freedom and Democracy is remarkably going to change the Horn of Africa’s politic prospective. The PAFD which represents 70% of the Ethiopian’s population has done what was needed to be done long time ago, and that was the formation of this heavy weight organization.
The agreement reached by the PAFD members to unite their efforts and energy against the barbaric Woyane regime in Addis Ababa was and is, in my opinion, the most important thing that the people of Ogaden, the Oromo, the Sidamo, the Benshigul and the Gambella have done so far. I believe that the establishment of this alliance has been long overdue, having said that though the alliance missed an opportunity for not forming a united front alliance long time ago, but no time is more important than today. It is never too late to execute an important task and I am glad that this is what the PADF organization is doing now.
It is true that the people that this group represents have been isolated from the world for so long. Even among them, the Woyane regime created artificial barriers so that they cannot communicate to each other even though they are living side by side in the same country. Woyane kept them apart because they feared that people would talk to one other and get to know their problems. However, as we entered in an information age where the world has become like one village, many barriers have been broken by the free information flow. With the help of social media and many other communication methods, the Ogaden, the Oromo, the Beninshigul, the Sidamo and the Gambella people have become well informed about their surroundings. The restrictions that were imposed upon them by the deceitful Woyane regime has been removed by today’s technology such as news, newspapers, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and many other sources.
Finally, the people from these groups came to know that they have not been enemies to each other, but they were made to think that they are enemies to one and other. Now these groups have found out about the reality that the seed of hatred was sown between them by the same enemy that is brutalizing them. Today, most of the Ethiopian people recognize their problem. They have good understanding of whom their enemy is and what it takes to deal with it. They are also certain that the solution of their problem depends on themselves. It is clear for them, without doubt, that unless they do something about their situation, the hardship that they have been going through for so many years would never be changed.
The enemy can only win when it creates hatred among its victims and the victimized ones fail to understand that. Ethiopia has been ruled by minority groups for so long and not because they have had supernatural power or have been more educated than the rest of the people, but because they took advantage of the weakness of their victims. Disunity of the oppressed people serves the regime well giving them more time to survive, and this is the main reason why this minority enjoyed the power without challenge. From now on, the good old days of being on the top of the food chain is going to be over for Woyane regime. The abused people will stand up for rights and for their destiny and abusers will be thrown out of the power.
All that the PADF needs now is to finish the work they started. They should spread their message not only to the outside of the country but also to the inside of the country. Their action should be beyond the rhetoric and sweet talks in conferences. They should be committed to waging a real war against this ugly regime in order to eliminate their power and influences by any means necessary. The PADF represents the majority of the population and there is no way they should allow the minority group to rule them. It happened before because of lack of unity among the oppressed people, but today there is no excuse for not showing the woyane regime (the minority in power) the exit and where they belong.
All eyes are on the leaders of the People’s Alliance for Freedom and Democracy. They looked at by not only the people that they represent but also the international community especially the western world. There are a lot of anxieties over the establishment of this organization. Some countries take it as a threat to Ethiopian security and for those who are concerned about the Ethiopian security are the friends of this regime. They don’t care about the Ethiopian people in general; however, they are afraid to lose their interest. Nevertheless, the majority of the western world knows Ethiopian situation better than anybody else and most of them believe that Ethiopia as it is today is unsustainable but they don’t know what to do. They have also had mixed feeling reaction to the PAFD as an organization because it is too early for them to understand its agenda. In a way, their perception is to see and wait because even though they know it represents 2/3 of the Ethiopian population, they have to make sure this organization means business. No one wants to come on board right away whether they are western countries or horn of Africa countries, but the support of this organization internally and externally will be determined by its goals. When PADF is seen as a serious organization with clear vision and mission, everybody will align with it. The PAFD will be judged by its achievement and how it conducts its task.
The PADF’s first job is to get rid of this brutal regime in Addis Ababa. Secondly, after when they clean the mess and dismantle the Woyane’s apparatus, they should ask the people of that country what they want to do and how they will decide their future. Thirdly, any ethnic group or community that decides to secede from Ethiopia should be allowed to do so without objection. Fourthly, the leadership of the PAFD should start building bridges between the people’s alliances for freedom and democracy and international community ensuring them that they are serious about restoring democracy and rule of law in that land (Ethiopia).
