EPRDF – Is It For Ethiopians or Against?

Beniam Taye

The current Ethiopian government under the ruling political party of EPRDF -Ethiopian People Revolutionary Democratic Front, claims that Ethiopia is a democratic country where there is good governance, democracy and also genuine human right. However, the political reality is far from it.

The EPRDF controls each and every sectors of the police, security and military forces and uses these forces ruthlessly to harass, imprison, detain and when necessary to kill the political opponents so that its government continues being on power.




This violent and ethnic dictatorship government of Ethiopia had been implementing its ruthless violation of human right activities during the national and regional elections which took place in May 2005. Human right watch, Amnesty International, US state department, Africa Watch and other human right organizations observed how Ethiopian is ruled by such a vicious government and reported the human right abuse in the country.



Among those, Jane’s Sentinel Country risk assessment: Ethiopia, November 2007, noted that;



“In the period following the election authorities arbitrarily detained, beat and killed opposition members, ethnic minorities, non governmental workers and member of the press. Authorities also imposed additional restriction on civil liberties, including freedom of press and freedom of assembly. Many of these restrictions remain in place. A human right abuse continues to be most widespread in the rural areas…”



The USSD report for 2006 also noted that;



“Observers reported killings, disappearances, voter intimidation and harassment, and unlawful detentions of opposition party supporters, particularly in the Amhara, Oromiya, and Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples regions.”



On the 7th June 2005, the Amnesty international also noted that:



“On 6th June, several hundred peaceful student demonstrators were beaten with batons and rifle butts by the police on the two main Addis Ababa University (AAU) campuses. The students had been shouting and chanting protests against the announcement of the provisional results of the 15 May parliamentary elections, which indicated a majority for Prime Minister Meles Zenawi’s ruling Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) coalition. Amnesty International considers them to be prisoners of conscience, who were peacefully exercising their opinions.”



Despite all these, still the current Ethiopian government claims that the opposition political parties in Ethiopia have a genuine right to exercise their political views and ideas while the opposition political party members are currently being languished in prison without charge, ranging from a period of 3 – 20 years and some of them even serving a life sentence imprisonment and also some of the members’ whereabouts is still unknown. There are also many political party members like Shambel Zewde Ayalew, for instance, who are forced to leave their home country and seek asylum abroad.



Who would really agree such an old man like Shambel Zewde Ayalew deserves to flee his home county at this time of his age when, as an all man, he was suppose to spend good times with his family around him. Instead, he is being chased by the EPRDF for his genuine democratic political views.



The EPRDF, when confronted with human right abuses and political repression, it put the blame on the local security and police forces, pleading itself innocent, while it is actually the one and only who controls these forces. It is the task of the security and police forces to arrest and detain anyone at any time who they consider potential opponent of the EPRDF by giving the name “anti-government” and “ant-peace elements“ without even having to concern about the legal consequences. It wouldn’t be a surprise to know that absolutely no member of the security and police forces were charged for the human right abuses in connection with the May 2005 elections.



Now months away for the upcoming 2010 parliamentary elections, the EPRDF claims that the election will be conducted peacefully while some of the top oppositional political party leader and members are currently being languished in prison and also some of them are still being chased by the government.



Although Ethiopia has its laws and regulations, it has always been bent to serve the political motives of the EPRDF regime. It is a common principle that any government should keep and protect its own country and territory from any invaders. However, the lawless EPRDF has been doing the opposite. It was heard that the EPRDF secretly sold the western part of Ethiopia’s land to the Sudanese government. The land measures 1,600km in length and 30-50 km in width.



The EPRDF, when confronted with such an issue, it denied the allegation but later on the 8th May 2008, the German radio confirmed that EPRDF has already gave away the Ethiopian’s land to Sudan.



While currently millions are facing famine in Ethiopia, it is such a sad and embarrassing situation to come to know that EPRDF authorised and helped the Sudanese authorities to chase away the Ethiopians peasant and farmers from their own land by using excessive forces. Such a crime and abuse is committed on the Ethiopians by the EPRDF government.



It is a must that we are forced to ask ourselves a question “Why?” “Why the EPRDF is so cold blooded it committees such a crime on its own people? Why the government doesn’t consider the Ethiopian people interest before considering others’? Such questions also obliged us to seek and find a true Ethiopian leader and patriots who stand for and believe in the unification of one Ethiopia and one people, opposing the EPRDF’s divide and rule regime and bring out a genuine democracy, justice and equality among the people.



This is exactly what the EPPF stands for. Let us not forget it was the EPPF freedom fighters who battled with the EPRDF and freed those farmer prisoners who were imprisoned for refusing to withdraw from their own land. It is such devastating, however, to hear the EPRDF calling the EPPF members with a name “bandits” and “anti-peace elements” while it is the EPRDF who denied them the right to live peacefully in their own land. EPPF did not and has never been involved in any kind of anti-peace activities as a means of struggle to achieve the right of Ethiopian people.



While the patriots are paying such sacrifices, we; who truly seek the unification of Ethiopia and its people, have to ask a question to ourselves what role we can play, as a member of the party, to contribute and stand by our patriots. As unity is power let us all unite and support EPPF as they are the one and only patriots who will liberate Ethiopia from the dictator EPRDF regime.