Meles Zenawi: A Hero or A Zero ?

August 23, 2012/

Meles Zenawi Asres who caused the death, hunger, exile and total humanitarian destruction in Ethiopia and the horn of Africa, first emerged from Tigray Peoples' Liberation Front (TPLF), which carried out armed struggle against communist military brutal regime in 1970s and 1980s.

He was married to Azeb Mesfin who is also a former guerrilla fighter and now a business woman in Ethiopia in the expense of the resource of the Ethiopian people and other people in the horn of Africa. Azeb and Meles had three children together.

Meles Zenawi was the prime minister of Ethiopia from 1995 until his death from illness in 2012. From 1985, he was the chairman of the Tigrayan Peoples' Liberation Front( TPLF), and the head of the ruling brutal regime in Ethiopia, Ethiopian Peoples' Revolutionary Democratic Front(EPRDF). He was president of Ethiopia from 1991 to 1995 and became the prime minister of Ethiopia in 1995 following the fake election in the country.

After two months of rumors and speculation about his illness and later his death, the government of Ethiopia finally announced his death on 21 August 2012. He died after long illness at a hospital in Brussels, a Belgian capital.

In fact, the death of a fellow human being can not be a cause for celebration for any sane-minded human being. But at the moment in the peoples of Ethiopia and the horn of Africa specially, the announcement of Meles Zenawi's death has sparked fears of leadership vacuum and uncertainty in the whole horn of Africa which could lead to the continuation of human right abuse and instability in Ethiopia and the horn of Africa as before due to Zenawi's brutal leadership or a better security, peace, democracy and stability in the future in the horn if handled wisely. At this moment when the future of Ethiopia and the horn of Africa is uncertain there are two images of Meles Zenawi flying around for the world's just evaluation.There are some who believe that Meles was a hero because of his great achievement in the progress of economic development, war on terrorism, and democratic leadership in the the country. On the contrary, there are many who believed that Meles Zenawi's death was just an elimination of one more dictator because of his brutal regime for the last 21 years was the era of death, hunger, exile for majority of the Ethiopian people and they like to argue he was not a hero but a zero. There for, it is important to see back whether Meles was a hero or just a zero.

Meles led the guerrilla fighter group TPLF and rather organized to a more seems inclusive group EPRDF based on ethnic groups fronts which are completely under the hammer of TPLF. He went all the ways to dominate Ethiopian and horn of Africa's politics until his death.Although Ethiopia is said to be ruled by a coalition of regional parties, the party from Tigray (TPLF), has continued to hold most of the power in both the army and the government because of Meles Zenawi's dictatorial leadership. Dictator Meles Zenawi as both a president and prime minister led the murder of many thousands Ethiopians and other peoples in the horn of Africa in his one man dominated 21 years leadership. Today, as Meles Zenawi's family, friends, supporters cry over his death and passing through hard time, there are many who are mourning for their beloved ones who are brutally killed by Meles Zenawi's brutal regime. His regime for 21 years were just the continuation of war, conflict, gross human rights violation, hunger, imprisonment, disappearances, exile and killings of many thousands.

Meles Zenawi was a brutal ruler who killed, imprisoned, tortured and exiled thousands of citizens, particularly from members of colonized nations and nationalities waging the struggle for their own liberation, such as the Oromo, Ogaden, Somalis, Sidama, Afar, Gambela, and many others in the Ethiopian empire.

Meles Zenawi's political legacy for Ethiopia and the horn of Africa did nothing  for the majority and could have been done by any lay man. He had bad records on human rights and bad views towards free press and the establishment of genuine and strong democratic institutions. He was the key man in 21 year long harsh and ruthless control over the one-party government of the Tigrayan peoples' Liberation Front(TPLF), that massacred many thousands and forced tens of thousands to flee in to exile. Many missed their precious life on the way to exile with in seas, oceans and deserts. The lucky ones chose to live as exiles rather than facing persecution by Zenawi's brutal leadership.

Meles was always talking about democracy, civil rights, faithful attachment to the constitution and the like. But it was only just an allegiance expressed in words but not backed by deeds. In reality, Ethiopians and other people under his leadership have lived under brutal regime with out any freedom for 21 years. There had been a concern about the lack of democracy and human rights in Ethiopia for the last 21 years as it had been in the whole history of the Ethiopian empire.

Zenawi was a dearly loved person of the west, but a ruthless cruel man to his own people and the horn of Africa. To state players concerned about global security, he  played a role in the war on terror and in sending troops to Somalia; but to his own people, Meles was our home grown terrorist who most threatened our lives and futures and radicalized neighboring Somalia. He sacrificed the lives of soldiers in East Africa for returns in aids, weapons and cash. As Ana Gomes of EU said " his rhetoric on development, democracy, and combating, terrorism only convinced those in the EU and USA who wanted to be fooled". Under Meles Zenawi's leadership, Ethiopia became a staunch US ally, receiving hundreds of millions of dollars in aid over years and hosting the US military drones that patrol East Africa. But the aid flowing to the land were often linked to political views or lost to corruption. All the money has not trickled down to the needy people but excessively used by few TPLF government officials. He just won accolades from the west for sending troops to battle islamist militants Alshabab, in Somalia to get benefit for few.

He was not a brutal leader who only ordered the killing of thousands, kidnap of thousands, brutal beating of thousands but also he went in to war with neighboring Eritrea and won that war at a huge cost of human life and resource of the country.

People are racially profiled and subjected to harassment, beatings, torture, arrest, and even extra judicial killings. Ethiopians and others are viewed as disloyal only because they happen to belong to other ethnicity like Oromo, Sidama, Anuak, Somali, Amhara , etc. Job and education opportunity be availed to citizens in respective of their ethnic back ground and ruling party affiliation. Many passed through difficult times between life and death at Maikelawi, the notorious torture chamber of Federal police commission of Zenawi's regime , just because of their ethnicity.

If you are an educated person from certain ethnic communities, such as the Oromo, Somali, Anuak, Sidama, and lately Amhara, you are in the suspect class that is eligible to unlawful surveillance, harassment and attack by the so called "security forces" loyal to Meles Zenawi. This special group of security force were free to commit any crime against their own people if they thought some thing is wrong in supporting Meles Zenawi's brutal leadership. This freedom of crime was given to this force directly from the dead dictator Meles Zenawi.

A brutal crackdown followed a 2005 election was a fresh memory for many. At least 200 innocent peoples brutally murdered only in the capital, Addis Ababa, and many journalists, students, teachers, politicians and innocent peoples have been locked up and many beaten publicly by rude so called " special security forces" of Meles Zenawi's leadership.

More recently, new anti-terrorism legislation was used against journalists, bloggers, opposition politicians and other critics of the Zenawi's regime. And many from urban intellectuals to rural farmers are suffering torture and ill-treatment in prisons and still many thousands are in exile. He was a leader , once mighty and looked immortal, and ordered the torture and killings of real or imagined opponents without thinking about it and banished others in to exile.

With in TPLF/EPRDF, Meles was the only powerful man emerged and decided everything for more than two decades over Ethiopia. And his such personal dominance has also raised questions over the succession even inside the brutal regimes party itself. He is responsible for all the current TPLF/EPRDF power struggles, splits between Tigrayans. This will be a big challenge for the brutal regime starting from today in the absence of Meles Zenawi. More over the renewed force from opposition groups, and now, new demands from religious groups, both Muslims and Christians, for freedom from government interference in their religious affairs will be a very difficult home work Meles Zenawi left for TPLF/EPRDF to accomplish.

A long 21 solid years of  Meles Zenawi  brutal regime was majorly characterized by ever-increasing repression, wide spread human rights violations, unrest, instability, insecurity, exile, war, hunger, murder and torture in Ethiopia and the horn of Africa. There for,  was he a hero or just a zero ? It is up to you to judge based on facts.

By: Tsegaye Hailu
August 24, 2012

                       

6 comments:

  1. Anwar BushraAugust 24, 2012

    The change that Meles brought to our country with in 21 years is not satisfactory. So, don't think he is hero may be zero.

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    1. No single fact to think he was a hero ; he was for sure one of the killer dictator in human history.

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  2. hey bro i can give you my word why those Ethiopians are feeling down since they lost the phenomenon prime minister who made a great history not only for the people of Ethiopia for Africa as well < the reason behind is opposition parties like you who were disturbing our moms and dads in every coffee ceremonies are totally out of the peoples mind and they are taking their time to be an americans or any other nation in the world guess it is very simple logic you can understand you guys used to fool the ethiopian people but not now time is up bro take care

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    1. The history of Meles Zenawi is recorded in genocide, crime against humanity.He was the enemy of peace , security and democracy. You said opposition like you? hehehehe isn't it far better to be Oppositions against killers than supporting them for cheap popularity and some incentives like what you are collecting from TPLF regime. You are really a fool not me and others. Take care you yourself ok time is up for Weyanes.

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  3. hehehe he s big Zero

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