Do as we say, not as we do: The politics of revenge.

The case of Feleg Berhe the very wife of Tegadaly and Ambassador Seyoum Mesfin.

“Until the lion tells his side of the story, the tale of the hunt will always glorify the hunter.” Unanimous

By Gebru Boj’Boj

September 15, 2020

First, I would like to apologize for bringing the following sad news during this happy moment of ours coming from our New Year time and historic election. Hoping that you will accept my apology and understand where I am coming from, let me go straight to the story.

The psychological distance between what is being preached and practiced and the discrepancy between recommendations and actions happening in Ethiopia against Tegaru today is mind-boggling to say the least. It is what we call action hypocrisy, a hypocrisy of behavior crisis.

As soon as I found out the actions taken against her by the little abiy and his stooges, minions and hangers-on, my heart broke, and devastation run through me. It has created a hole in my heart not because she is the wife of Ambassador Seyoum nor because she is special but because I know the reason behind their action.There are thousands of Tigrians in Addis and beyond who are being pushed out from their workplaces, decoupled from their private businesses, pushed off to jail, displaced, moved out from their houses and apartments, murdered, and harassed. My very sister who was one of the victims of such actions who was let go from her office that she worked for over twenty years along other twelve Tigrians in one afternoon for no other reason than being Tegaru is another example of what is happing against Tegaru. So, what makes the action taken against Feleg different and special? Well, follow the story and be a judge for yourself. For your information, the time that the action was taken against her was few days after Ambassador gave an outstanding interview on the abiy administration vis-à-vis the science of diplomacy, International relations implications, and Abay Dam fiasco.

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One afternoon, about five or six weeks ago, Feleg headed out to visit her long-time friend and spent a great day. As the day got near dusk with the sky growing dark, Feleg started heading out to her apartment. As soon as she arrived at her apartment, she met two people that she never saw them before waiting for her and told her to leave the apartment immediately without any prior notice and directed her to take out her personal belongings immediately. She asked them who they are and showed her identity cards to prove that they are employees of the Addis Ababa Housing Authority. She begged them to give her time a day or so as she was not prepared for this and did not know what to do in that short time. They adamantly said no and warned her that if she does not follow their directions, they will dump off all her stuff out of the apartment and lock it down. She went in to her apartment for the last time where she had spent good time with her husband and her daughter for many years and started sorting out her stuff and started saving her most valuables first and started calling friends and family members. One of her distant family members arrived and took her to her apartment where she is living right now.As to her personal belongings and furniture, they are being kept in different places until she gets her own house or  apartment which seems impossible to get one as she is very income limited and the rent is prohibitively expensive and unaffordable. When she was shoved off from her long-time apartment, she had only six-thousand birr in her saving account, nothing more which is nothing in today’s abiy’s economy.

Back in the days of the infamous TPLF split which was a disaster and lacked farsightedness and exposed TPLF leadership’s inherent limitation to resolve differences through negotiation that ended up in revengeful and regrettable actions against their own blood and sweat fellow Tegadeltis, I had the opportunity to visit my Country along with my family. As soon as we arrived in Addis Ababa many friend and family members were paying us a visit and congratulating us on our safe arrival. Amongst them was W/o Feleg Berhe. My wife and I had no knowledge on who she is, and it was our first time to see her. She was beautiful, unassuming, friendly, and very decent. It was after she left that we found out who she was. Her visit was long and stayed with us almost the whole day. She happened to be a close friend of one of our family members. We were discussing freely about our country and diaspora life. One of the hottest topics mentioned during our discussion was the case of the split of TPLF where her husband was on the side of the “winners”. She was strongly ridiculing the split and the unwarranted, indefensible and unjustifiable actions that were being taken against the opposing team including the jailing of Seye Abraha and his three brothers (Asefa Abraha, Mihrete’Ab Abraha and Tegadalay Colonel Woldeslassie Abraha who was let go because of Siye’s case). As soon as she left, and we found out who she was I was asking if what she said was genuine and honest. I was told, as part of an answer to my question, after she attended the funeral service of the mother of Seye Abraha who died while her four sons were in jail ( she died from the pain of her children’s suffering who went to the Prime Minister Office to beg for the release of her children to no avail), I was told she was being disparaged and labelled as supporter of Siye Abraha and the opposition group. Even her husband was being asked as to why she attended the funeral under his watch. She was strongly and confidently defending her action that it was her right to attend the funeral service.

 To make long story short, as her husband moved back to our capital city Mekelle, Feleg stayed in Addis Ababa in their Housing Authority rented apartment. Yes, rented apartment. Shame to those of you we used to spread disinformation on the family as if they had a private mansion. Shame on you who were saying their son Mebrahtu who was born in Sudan is a multi- millionaire who is living an average life as an employee in diaspora. Zakra Seyoum is a college student and not able to support her mom and dad who are living from the meager pension payment. I know this for fact and firsthand.

What has been done to this innocent Tigrawaiti Citizen is an addition to our understanding of this remarkable “under-age” dictator. Every time I see and hear  about his continued actions, it constantly reminds me Saddam Hussein who led his  country in to disaster whose humble beginning in the small village of AWJA, his fatherless childhood, and his rough life started  with a step father ( known as Hassen the liar which was denied by him). Saddam Hussein’s chief influencer was his mother. The Baath (Renaissance) party became a vehicle for Hussein who climbed the ladder of Iraq politics, using combination of intimidations, fear and outright murder. I am smelling resemblance of abiy and his pp party with Saddam and his party. I smell the same fate coming like Hassan who was found under bridge to safe his life who seemed superhuman being when he was in power. I am sensing karma coming.

The pain inflicted on our sister by your actions is our shared pain. Have no doubt, colonel abiy, shared pain does bring people together. It is our history and what you saw during our historic election is the result of a history of such pains, nothing more, nothing less. The resoluteness, determination, tenacity and strength you see in us is nothing but our common history of deep-rooted pain. Pain for your information is a powerful ingredient in producing bondage and cooperation between those who share painful experience. Pain, despite its unpleasantness, has positive consequences acting as a sort of “social glue” that will foster our cohesion and solidarity within us. Your unspeakable actions will have a limit and an end with compounded and many fold consequences against you and your enablers. Read my leaps if you can see and read it. Our sister’s suffering is a super pill for our strength.

This action was taken not only because she is Tigrawaiti but also that her husband happened to be a senior and founding Tegadalay and one of the super plyers  in the fight against the current administration led by the feeble-minded, general  Idi Amin Dada like who got time  to polish shoes in public and guide traffic. It is part of the revenge politics being practiced by him. I am so puzzled and annoyed that no news outlets and major social medias belonging to Tegaru uttered no single word about it. What is more important than reporting the crimes being run against people simply because they are Tegaru? As my readers remember, on my previously posted article, once again it is a proof to my believe that there is Genocide against Tegaru. What is done against Feleg and other Tegarus in Addis Ababa is nothing, but genocide led by revenge: Call it by its name!