There was once an Iron Throne that ruled Ethiopia for a thousand years. The lords of that kingdom believed they had a birthright and a divine right to rule. That Throne in the end vanished over a few months never to return. Today the lords of the TPLF Paper Mache Throne also believe they have a birthright to rule. They hope to keep in perpetuity the mantle of ultimate power—the office of prime minster. They believe their Paper Mache Throne will last a hundred years. As they like to remind us every chance they get, they established their Paper Mache Throne through the barrel of the gun. They sure ain’t gonna let nobody disestablish it through a paper ballot! Alemayehu G Mariam, “The Game of Thrones in Ethiopia,” August 31, 2014.
The short-term strategy of the TPLF patrons/partners-in-crime is to bait, switch and trap the Ethiopian government into a ceasefire negotiation. That old switcheroo has been used against Ethiopia not long ago in the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam “negotiations” in Washington DC. “Fool me once… you can’t fool me again. Alemayehu G. Mariam.
African folktale of the negotiating hyena (TPLF) and lion (Ethiopia)
Once upon a time a scavenging hyena fell into a trap hidden at the bottom of a hole in the ground. He tried to push open the trap door and escape. He kicked and bit, but to no avail.
In panic, hyena began crying out, “Help! Help! Somebody get me out of here, please!”
A zebra heard the cry and came by, and when it saw who it is he instantly walked away remembering hyena’s dastardly deeds.
Other animals also came one by one and like the zebra walked away remembering hyena’s treachery.
Days passed and hyena became ever so desperate trapped in the hole.
As the animals of the jungle came and left, hyena would plead and beg. “Just get me out and I will be very nice to you and never touch you. Just help get out this one time, please!”
At last, monkey came by.
“Help me please, monkey, get me out of this trap. I’ve been in this trap for days and if you don’t help me hunter will be back and surely kill me! Help me please!”
“Well now”, monkey said, “That’s all good, but I know you will kill and eat me if I help you get out of the trap.”
Hyena pleaded, “Monkey, not so! I will be good. I promise not to touch a single strand of hair on your head.”
Monkey thought he should take a chance on doing a good thing and released the trap and let hyena out.
Hyena will always be hyena. Hungry from days trapped in a hole, hyena pounced on monkey.
Just as hyena began attacking monkey, lion arrived and smacked hyena releasing monkey.
After separating the two, lion held court.
Monkey explained what had happened and hyena’s promise not to do him harm if he let him out of the trap.
Lion heard from hyena as well.
Lion said, “Before I issue my final judgment, I need to understand exactly how all this happened. So, hyena get back into the trap, and then we will start again.”
Hyena reluctantly jumped back into the trap. Monkey made sure the trap was secure.
“Now, hyena,” said lion, “you can stay there and die, for all I care. You don’t deserve the kindness of other animals because you are a double-crossing, double-dealing, double-speaking treacherous lowlife.”
With that, lion and monkey went their separate ways leaving hyena in the trap to meet his fate.
Who will save the trapped TPLF hyena?
Like the trapped hyena of the African jungle, the terrorist TPLF hyena is trapped and getting hammered, droned and bombarded in the rocky terrain of Tigray.
The TPLF is cackling to get help from its patron/partners-in-crime hyenas, “Help USA! Help UK! Help EU! Help UN!”
Nothing doing!
Only tweet, tweet like the little bird.
They keep sending delegations of hyenas to scare the Ethiopian black lion. “We will sanction you. We will…”
Just like the big bad wolf huffing and puffing to blow the house down.
Time was terrorist TPLF would brag about how it adopted Israel’s preemptive strike strategy in the 1967 Arab-Israeli war against Ethiopia.
A few day after the terrorist TPLF attack on November 3, 2020, one of its top leaders, Sekouture Getachew, bragged about their “1967 Israeli attack” style blitzkrieg on the Ethiopian Northern Command in Tigray .
The United Nations peacekeeping forces were ordered to get out of the area. This was a critical move by Israel which is a very small country surrounded by hostile large Arab countries, including Egypt, that were ready to destroy her. In this situation, did Israel have to sit and wait or take preemptive action against a manifest war facing it?
It was at that time that Israel conducted a swift attack and was able to crush and demobilize (the Arab armies) and defend herself.
What we (TPLF) did was mobilization similar to that. Among the people of Tigray were 30,000 troops under the control of the (Northern Command). There were four divisions with mechanized elements. (Tigray was facing attack) from below (south) by centralist warriors. From above (north) was Isaias Afeworki (Eritrean troops). That was the situation of war for which we were making preparations.
Under such circumstances, did we (TPLF) have to sit and wait with folded arms? No we did not. Therefore, it was necessary for us to take a “mebreqawi” (blitzkrieg) attack. Had that blitzkrieg attack not occurred, Tigray would not be the place where we could sit and talk today. Much death would have occurred. Much destruction would have occurred. As it has been said, the dream of (PM) Abiy Ahmed, even though you cannot rule forever oppressing people, would have gained supremacy even for a limited time.
So, by demobilizing the Northern Command and by allowing those elements of the Command who want to join us do so, we sought to build up our capacity. We had control over the country’s armaments some 70 or 80 percent of it, including heavy weapons and fighting forces and made it the military capacity of the Tigray people. That was the aim of our first mobilization (November 3, 2020 attack).
Today, terrorist TPLF is begging on its knees for a ceasefire and peace negotiations. Such is the fate of the plans of mice and the TPLF.
On September 14, 2022, almost two years after the TPLF launched its attack, top terrorist TPLF “general” Tadesse Weradaw admitted at a press conference that TPLF’s forces are being hammered by Ethiopian forces and sent scurrying in every part of Tigray. He said the TPLF has never faced such overwhelming counterattack.
Weradaw spoke haltingly and incoherently but his body language said it all, “It is all over. Our fearful trip is done.”
He said the TPLF is pinning its hope of victory on support it hopes to get from a rag tag assembly of small terrorist groups in Ethiopia and civic organizations that came out and made a call for “peaceful resolution.”
(Full video of relevant portions here.)
With the political forces we have good relations. In Oromiya, the internal force, the OLA (Oromo national Liberation Army), we do good intelligence and operational work. They control a wide swath of area. It is good. It is a very encouraging thing what they are doing. I think now they control large cities and districts. They have a very good opportunity to target large cities. The focus on that from the political impact perspective, military and many other impacts, it seems important to me.
To attack Tigray, the whole of Ethiopia is exposed. Those that are part of the body that pushes and forces the peace process, their attacks are continuing strongly. There are similar things (cooperation) in Beni Shangul and also in Somalia. With all of them, we are doing everything to strengthen our relationship
To force, ah, ah, to be able to remove or to compel with the political forces available in this country is to do unity work. Otherwise, ah ah. The war that is with us is not only Oromya’s. The war in Tigray is not only Tigray’s. There’s some common understanding. There’s good cooperation (between TPLF and the other terrorist groups). There are signs that make us proud. The struggle that civic organizations are doing is something that makes us proud. It must not be the work of a limited number of civic organizations. It has to be the thing of all people.
Alas! That is the end!
Weradaw’s statement reminded me of verse from Walt Whitman, paraphrased for the TPLF:
O TPLF! my TPLF! our fearful trip is done,
The TPLF ship has weather’d every rack, the prize we sought is lost,
O TPLF! my TPLF! rise up and hear the bells that toll for thee;
Rise up—for you the white flag is flung—for you the somber bugle trills,
For you bouquets and ribbon’d wreaths readied for your graveside
For you they call, the ENDF, the Amhara/Afar Militia, Fano, their eager faces turning;
Here TPLF! dear TPLF!
You’ve fallen cold and dead.
R.I.P. (Rest in Pain) TPLF!
The terrorist TPLF hyenas are a gathering of treacherous, cowardly and opportunistic lowlifes.
Whenever they get hammered and ripped in the battlefield, they plead, grovel and beg for peace.
They proclaim, “We want peace. We don’t want war. We want to negotiate.”
When they are on the attack, when they pillage, plunder and murder, they declare, “There is no need for peace because they have won the war.”
The TPLF hyenas’ patron/partner hyenas turn into the three wise monkeys when the TPLF is attacking, pillaging and murdering.
They see, hear or speak no evil about the TPLF.
When the TPLF is getting hammered, the patron/partner hyenas squeal like a stuck pig. “Stop the war! Ceasefire! Peace!”
The hyena of the African folktale and the terrorist TPLF hyena share two basic characteristics.
They offer to negotiate when
1) they are getting hammered, trapped and cannot run or hide, or
2) see an easy prey – sick, debilitated and weak.
Terrorist TPLF’s international patrons/partners-in-terrorist-crimes talk about negotiations and peace.
But only after they see their TPLF hyena is in the hole trapped, bagged and tagged.
Of course, it is a silly and stupid game they play.
In its September 11, 2022 statement, terrorist TPLF identified its spokesman Getachew Reda and one of its “generals”, Tsadkan Gebretensae, as leaders of its negotiating team at the African Union sponsored peace conference.
On July 5, 2021, the TPLF peace negotiator designee and spokesman Getachew Reda told the Associated Press the idea of ceasefire and negotiations is a “sick joke”:
So we have to make sure every inch of our territory is returned to us, to the rightful owners. Second, you need to get all the services. It could be air services, transportation services, electricity, telephone services and everything.
The people of Tigray are part of the Ethiopian Federation. They deserve every service the rest of the country gets. There’s no way we will negotiate about anything whatsoever until these services are restored to the people of Tigray.
Abiy government’s announcement of a unilateral ceasefire should be treated with the contempt it’s so richly deserves because it is so vacuous. It means nothing.
First and foremost, we destroyed his army and they are still fighting to hold onto territory. They have been destroying the livelihood of our people. They cut off lights. They cut off electricity. They have cut off telecom. They are doing everything to make life absolutely miserable for our people. And they tell you, they have unilaterally declared a ceasefire so our peasants can survive the planting season.
That is a joke. A very sick one.
So our response is, it should be treated with a contempt it so richly deserves. (Italics added.)
Like the African hyena in the jungle, the TPLF hyena on the prowl having temporarily escaped the trap says, “Contempt for ceasefire and peace negotiations.”
Reda has always categorically rejected the possibility of the African Union (AU) and the AU-designated mediator former Nigerian President Olesegun Obasanjo’s role, which he now pleads and grovels to get.
Interviewer: How did you decide to change your mind from just a few weeks ago you were saying no talk under the umbrella of the African Union. Now you’re saying you’re open to peace talks.
Reda: Well, to set the record straight we have never rejected the role of the African Union. We know the African Union as a continental organization has a role to play in resolving conflicts in Africa.
(Translation of Amharic statement in last part of video above.)
Unless we get permission, the African union cannot mediate the negotiations. That’s it. Finished. What we’re saying is that we will not waste time with a person (President Obasanjo) who gives out sacramental bread in the name of St. Abiy (PM Abiy Ahmed).
Recently, terrorist TPLF “general” Tsadkan Gebretensae declared there is nothing to negotiate because the TPLF has already won the war.
What I am answering is the question, ‘After this, is it even possible to raise the question of negotiations?’ The war is finished. The conflict is getting finished in war. It is being finished in the war. With whom are we going to negotiate? They’re not giving us an alternative opportunity. Have forcing this the conflict in war. Therefore, it will end in war. The conditions that would prevent conclusion of the conflict by are now being cleared.
Like the hyena who promised safety to the monkey while its was trapped in the hole but later tried to gobble it up, so terrorist TPLF hyenas and their patron/partner hyenas offer peace and negotiations to buy time to rebuild their military capability and strike again and again.
On September 11, 2022, terrorist TPLF raised the white flag and declared it want to negotiate. It wants peace.
The TPLF patron/partners-in-crime hyenas joined in a swiftly orchestrated and coordinated global public relations effort to reinvent terrorist TPLF as a peace seeker, maker and lover.
The terrorist TPLF and Biden administration issued virtually the same public relations statement.
On September 11, 2022, Blinken tweeted:
On September 11, 2022, Borrell tweeted:
On September 11, 2022, UN Secretary-General António Guterres issued a statement:
The Secretary-General welcomes the announcement today by the Regional Government of Tigray of its readiness to abide by an immediate cessation of hostilities and to peacefully resolve the conflict in northern Ethiopia. He is encouraged by the stated willingness of the Regional Government of Tigray to participate in a robust peace process under the auspices of the African Union.
Hyenas’ Long Game of Thrones- TPLF’s Patron/Partners-in-crime END GAME
FACT: The so-called peace negotiations between the Ethiopian Government and the “Tigray Government” or “Tigray Regional Government” is nothing more than a dog and pony show stage managed by TPLF’s Patrons/Partners-in-crime.
The real negotiation is between the Ethiopian Government and TPLF’s patrons/partners-in-crime — Biden administration under the control of Susan Rice, the European Union, the British Government and the United Nations along with certain other Western countries — are playing a long game in Ethiopia.
It is a negotiation in a long zero-sum game of thrones in Ethiopia.
The TPLF’s patrons/partners-in-crime long game of thrones has one and only one objective:
RESTORATION OF TERRORIST TPLF TO THE ETHIOPIAN THRONE.
Failing in their current restoration efforts, they have two alternative strategies which they believe will lead to their one and only objective:
RESTORATION OF TERRORIST TPLF TO POWER IN ETHIOPIA.
Their core strategy is the amplification, intensification and replication of what they have been doing since terrorist TPLF attacked the Ethiopian Northern Command on November 3-4, 2020:
1) TOTAL DESTRUCTION OF ETHIOPIA BY SABOTAGING ITS ECONOMY, DIVIDING ITS PEOPLE, SUPPORTING TERRROISTS, ENCOURAGING ETHIOPIA’S HISOTRICAL ENEMIES TO DESTABLIZE ETHIOPIA AND DEMONIZING ETHIOPIA USING THEIR PRESS-TITUTE MEDIA.
2) MILTARY INVASION OF ETHIOPIA IN THE NAME OF “PREVENTING HUMNITARIAN TRAGEDY” AND MAKING ETHIOPIA ANOTHER IN LIBYA, SOMALIA, SYRIA, IRAQ OR AFGHANISTAN.
The battle cry (cackle) of the terrorist TPLF hyena and its patron/partner-in-crime hyenas in their end game is “Tigray genocide! Apocalypse Now in Tigray!”
The grand masterplan of the TPLF hyena and patron/partners-in-crime to restore the TPLF to power in Ethiopia
The TPLF hyena and its patron/partners-in-crime have a short-, medium- and long-term strategies.
As a matter of fact, terrorist TPLF leader Getachew Reda has disclosed to the world the US is directing its political and military strategy:
What you call peace is confused. What you call the international community say to us, ‘If Tigray forces enter Addis Ababa, there will be a bloodbath.’ At the same time, they say, ‘You can do whatever you want after you get rid of (Prime Minister) Abiy. With whom do you want to cooperate to do this thing?’ They say ‘Oromo and Amhara can divide power and you guys can become security guards (lackeys) for them. They have these kinds of confusing things.
I. Short-term Plan: Bait, Switch and Trap Ethiopia in a bogus, make-shift peace negotiation
The short-term strategy of the TPLF patrons/partners-in-crime is to bait, switch and trap the Ethiopian government into a MEANINGLESS ceasefire negotiation.
Their principal short-term objective is saving the TPLF from total destruction in the battlefield.
TPLF terrorist general has already stated that TPLF forces are facing a wipe out in the face of Ethiopian National Defense Forces.
They want Ethiopian forces to stop military action to give the TPLF time to regroup and reposition its forces.
The basic idea is to bait Ethiopia to join an “unconditional” benign, lovey-dovey ceasefire/peace negotiation process that will start off with a blank slate.
Once Ethiopia joins the bogus peace process, then they will pull the old switcheroo. They will reveal their real agenda, which is to arm-twist Ethiopia into accepting their clearly demonstrated objective.
In other words, the TPLF patrons/partners-in-crime will try to achieve in the negotiating room what they could not in the battle space.
The old switcheroo has been used against Ethiopia not long ago.
THOSE WHO DO NOT LEARN FROM HISTORY ARE DOOMED TO REPEAT IT.
CASE IN POINT: Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam “Negotiations” in Washington DC
On November 6, 2019, the US Treasury Department announced:
The foreign ministers of Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan and their delegations met with the Secretary of the Treasury and the President of the World Bank in Washington, D.C. on November 6, 2019. The ministers reaffirmed their joint commitment to reach a comprehensive, cooperative, adaptive, sustainable, and mutually beneficial agreement on the filling and operation of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam and to establish a clear process for fulfilling that commitment in accordance with the 2015 Declaration of Principles.
The announcement specifically stated the US and World Bank will play the role of observer:
… The ministers agreed that the World Bank and the United States would support and attend the meetings as observers… If an agreement is not reached by January 15, 2020, the foreign ministers agree that Article 10 of the 2015 Declaration of Principles will be invoked. (Italics added.)
The bait to reel Ethiopia into the Washington talks was that the GERD parties will get together on their own to talk while the US and World Bank played a passive observer role maintaining their neutrality and impartiality in their dealings with the parties.
The bait to reel in Ethiopia into the Washington talks was that if the parties cannot come to an agreement in Washington, things will revert back to Article 10 of the Declaration of Principles on January 15, 2020 as set forth in the November 6, 2019 announcement.
Article 10 provides:
If the Parties are unable to resolve the dispute thorough consultation or negotiation, they may jointly request for conciliation, mediation or refer the matter for the consideration of the Heads of State/Heads of Government.
Ethiopia was baited but in good faith showed up for discussions in Washington only to find out the old switcheroo. The fix was in.
In the blink of an eye, the U.S. transformed itself from “observer” to “facilitator,” to arm twister and choke holder. The World Bank watched as Ethiopia was skewered on the coals by the US-Egypt tag team.
In the Washington GERD negotiations, the U.S. never intended to be a neutral and impartial observer but an enforcer for Egypt.
On January 31, 2020, 16 days after the January 15, 2020 deadline set for an agreement or return to Article 10 of the Declarations Treasury Department issued an announcement stating:
… The Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Water Resources of Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan and their delegations met with the Secretary of the Treasury and the President of the World Bank, participating as observers in negotiations on the filling and operation of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), in Washington, D.C. on January 28-31, 2020… (Italics added.)
At a press conference on February 18, 2020, U.S. Secretary of State addressing the GERD issue stated, “A great deal of work remains, but I am optimistic that over the coming months we can resolve this…”
Ten days later, on February 28, 2020, the Treasury Department issued an announcement stating:
… The United States facilitated the preparation of an agreement on the filling and operation of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) based on provisions proposed by the legal and technical teams of Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan and with the technical input of the World Bank… (Italics added.)
The Treasury Department imperiously commanded:
… [F]inal testing and filling should not take place without an agreement.
In the entire process, Ethiopia was forced to tag along like a minion.
Of course, in the end the Ethiopian Government flatly and unequivocally rejected the findings and conclusions of the Treasury Department:
Ethiopia does not accept the characterization that the negotiation on the Guidelines and Rules on the First Filling and Annual Operation of the GERD (Guidelines and Rules) is completed. The “text” reportedly initialed by the Arab Republic of Egypt in Washington D.C. is not the outcome of the negotiation or the technical and legal discussion of the three countries. Ethiopia made it clear that the Guidelines and Rules must be prepared by the three countries. The Countries are yet to address outstanding issues pertaining to the finalization of the Guidelines and Rules.
In a twitter message, Ethiopia’s Foreign Minister Gedu Andargachew condemned the Treasury Department’s announcement:
The statement issued by US Treasury on GERD is unacceptable & highly partisan, Ethiopia believes in continued engagement with Egypt & Sudan to address the outstanding issues and finalize the Guidelines and Rules on a win-win basis for all.
What is even more shocking is the fact that without any announcement or explanation, Mnuchin had transformed the U.S.’s observer status to “facilitator” and arm-twister for final signature.
In the final announcement, Mnuchin declared, “The United States facilitated the preparation of an agreement…”
At what point between November 6, 2019 and February 28, 2020 did the U.S. role change from “observer” to “facilitator” to preparer of final GERD agreement?
Fool me once… Can’t get fooled again
President George Bush II once inarticulately said, “Fool me once – can’t get fooled again.”
What the TPLF and its patron/partners-in-crime want to do today by calling for ceasefire and peace negotiations is exactly the same thing they did during the GERD negotiations in Washington, DC!
They want to rope in the Ethiopian Government into bogus “ceasefire discussions,” “negotiations” and “peace process” and in a matter of weeks prepare their own peace agreement for the Ethiopian Government to sign and kiss the ring of the TPLF as it ascends to power.
That will happen when hell freezes over and all the devil and his hyena patrons/partners go ice skating.
When that happens, I should like to believe they will hear what they heard at the Washington talks in 2020:
GO **** YOURSELVES!
TO BE CONTINUED…