#AbiyMustGo

 Let me just say. The war on Tigray is just a continuation of the war on Oromia. This is an ideological war. It is a war to determine the future identity of Ethiopia. While Tigray has more muscle power than all the other regions due to their political dominance in the last 3 decades, the natural ideological battleground in Ethiopia is Oromia. All these wars, carnages, assassinations, etc are to get complete control of Oromia.

Oromia is the political and economic center of that empire. Who so ever controls Oromia controls Ethiopia. So naturally, wether you are currently so consumed by your hatred for TPLF(while exonerating their OPDO counterparts if I may add) that you are overlooking the wider implications of this war on Tigray and the gut wrenching humanitarian crises unfolding in that region, its worth noting that the final battle will be fought in Oromia and this regime is merciless. Our families and everything we hold dear, everything we’ve fought and sacrificed for, every minor gain made through sweat, tears, bones, and blood will be undone. The very idea of Oromia that we’ve defiantly nurtured & protected in our psyche will be no more.

I wish the reality weren’t so grim. But it is & we aren’t prepared or preparing on a level commensurate to the existential threat we are faced with. We are not ready to face this regime in this impending showdown & it’s important that we are. As we are witnessing in Tigray, the cost is just too much when facing a genocidal, power drunk, well equipped, & delusional wannabe Monarch who genuinely believes he has Devine mandate to rule and aided and abetted by irredentist forces who will love nothing more than to wipe us off the face of the earth.

The choice is no longer murky. I am not appealing to your conscience or your moral compass. I am appealing to your most basic human trait-the primordial urge for survival- as a people. Even if you don’t care about what’s happening in Tigray, you should at least be aware the same fate awaits us and all those who aspire towards an equitable, just, and democratic political arrangement in which our right to genuine self rule is respected. This is an existential threat. I would like those of you cheering on this regime to pause & reflect. I would like those engaged in belittling, insulting and humiliating one another on social media to pause & evaluate what purpose those actions are serving. I would like all of us to really come to terms with the fact that the only strength we’ve ever had in that empire is our people(numbers) & just strategically speaking, we will not survive as a nation divided. We need to find a way to minimize this ASAP.

The “Ethiopia Tikdem” forces are back with a vengeance, backed by an entire state apparatus, with all the power & connections bestowed upon them. So how ready are we to fight back? Not very!

By Fatuma N. Bedaso