Dear Mr. Getachew Reda Kahisay:
By Bravo Zulu – Raya
I am writing this open letter to you as part of an effort to bring to your attention the blazing violence the Rayan people, your constituencies, are suffering at the hands of the Tigray Government Security Forces and ask you to immediately resign from your current position. I didn’t miss that you are well aware of the inhumane and indiscriminate shoot to kill barbarity that the well trained and armed to their teeth Tigray security forces have been committing to our community. In fact, I believe that you as a central committee member of the TPLF played a part in the decision making process of sending these subhuman killers into the civilian populace that “elected” you to represent them in the National Parliament. If what I believe (which is more likely than not) is true, then I know all of my effort that I put into sending you this open letter will be just “working hard to get tired”. However, if I got lucky and what I believe is wrong, then this open letter may help “flip a switch in your head” and remove the darkness that you have been in from the day you joined the TPLF. Having said that, I shall begin providing the examples and details on what is happening to our people (yours and mine) at the hands of your party, the TPLF. I hope this will be a good read that knocks your skull to the core and help you wake up from the willing and deliberate sleep you are in. Let’s go on, shall we? Here we go:
1) Only a few days ago (October 21, 2018 to be exact), the Tigray government unleashed its killer security forces in Alamata, your hometown, to suppress the legitimate and constitutional right of assembly and peaceful demonstration demanding for recognition of their identity and self rule. The security forces were armed as if they were facing a heavily armed enemy in a battle field. As ordered by the higher ups in the Tigray government, the security forces started indiscriminately shooting towards the crowd and killed 7 youth, and wounded hundreds.
2) Astonishingly, as if using the military grade AK 47 were not bad enough, the deployed killer force used hand grenades and truck mounted machine guns to kill civilians en mass. This act is beyond crime; it is an act of terror. No amount of unarmed civilian disobedience or demonstration against the TPLF would justify this barbaric and egregious violation of human rights. You and I know for sure that there were no armed individuals among the youth and the demonstrating crowd since it is illegal to carry a gun in Tigray unless one is a member of the TPLF. The Tigray government to its credit didn’t accuse any in the protesting crowd of attacking the security forces using fire arms. For that reasons, the protesting crowd was not in a position to threaten the security forces and hence the security forces used truck mounted machine guns and hand grenades to kill as many people as they could. This is an act of cleansing the Rayan people and is an active terror.
3) To make matters even worse, the security forces combed the town at night knocking on door-to-door hunting for young men and women. They forcibly handcuffed the youth and took them to places unbeknown to loved ones to this day. The lucky youth escaped the detention risking their lives at the hands of well-trained sharp shooters and escaped detention and fled to the neighboring towns (Waja and Kobo) and they are staying in camps and with relatives. The armed hunt for youth in Alamata by the TPLF killers during the darkness of the night was indiscriminate; the security forces were given full authority or were not restrained by the higher ups from exercising full authority as to who they would detain or kill or rape. No known criminal investigation has been put in place against these inhumane wild beasts yet. Nor does it seem there would be one which ensures that the security forces were ordered to commit all kinds of crimes against a peaceful community by the top government officials. The commanders and authorities who gave the orders to shoot and kill shall have their day in court or will die suffocating themselves in the wide prison they built – the State of Tigray. If they leave Tigray and go to other regional states, then they know what is going to wait for them. So, they shall languish themselves in Tigray. I shall consider it self-imposed prison sentence.
4) I heard, and I believed and still believe it, that you went to Waja to visit mothers (of Alemu Biruye and Adnio Belay) who lost their children in July 2018. At least that was commendable and kind of you to express your condolences to the mourning mothers even if you might have your own agenda for going there. To a certain degree, I personally considered you that you have some soul left inside you unlike the TPLF members who consider human beings like consumable items. Like many others I believe that the mere thing that one joins the TPLF means one loses ones soul altogether forever. I made an exception to my strong belief of the inseparable correlation of becoming soullessness and TPLF membership and gave you the credit of having a soul still remaining long after you have been serving the TPLF. Then there came the most recent event that happened on Sunday October 21, 2018. That tragic mass killing and wounding of innocent youth, and mass detention and forced displacement en mass of the Raya Alamata youth. These are your brothers and my brothers.
5) The degree of ignorance and arrogance of the Tigray government authorities, is beyond comprehension. They even didn’t care to go to the families of the deceased and express their condolences to family members who lost loved ones or declare a state wide day of mourning for the loss of life that they caused in Alamata on October 21, 2018. I would have thought that they would do it at least for the sake of political correctness. They didn’t and that the belief TPLF members are soulless evils was confirmed to be accurate. To add insult to injury, they got dressed in our traditional clothes and celebrated in their feast wildly dancing like monkeys in the jungle while we were mourning our loved youth at the hands of the barbaric security forces.
6) Now that we have seen the Tigray government’s treatment of our people, no amount of force shall break our determination to get rid of the TPLF from our territory – Raya. It is a matter of time and it won’t be long before we shall prevail and the shoe will be on the other foot. It is inevitable and fait accompli. I know you have kept company with some of our brothers from Raya such as Tariku Molla, Molla Asmare, Goitom Berhane, Alemayehu Fentaw (Weldemariam) and Mu’uz Gidey. I have no objection with your relationship and influence on them. Hoping they are independent and well educated and “well-read”, I expected each one of them to ask you to resign. But, you made them your servants and they kowtow and bow to you and none of them asked you in public to resign or told you what you can do to save our community from the killer savages. On my part, I struggled with myself for the last couple of days expecting you to resign from your post protesting against the act of the Tigray security forces for attacking your constituents for no legal or logical reason. I still am waiting for you to resign and show your respect to your community that propelled you to the highest echelon of political power you are currently holding. Remember, you got where you are now because you were born and raised in your hometown and “elected” by the same community that raised you. I am giving you the most valuable advice you could ever get from anyone. Just resign! Do not miss the opportunity to a soft landing from the summit of political power and payback your people by showing your loyalty to them. This will help you live in peace with yourself and your community.
7) In the evet that you decide to stay serving the TPLF hiding yourself behind the security forces or what have you, I can assure you that you are signing your own death warrant. Since you grew up in Raya that accepted your Tigre dad without any discrimination of any kind, I expect you to not forget the retaliation and vendetta the culture allows against evil doers who killed loved ones. No amount of security assurance shall save you from Rayans who lost loved ones at the hands of security forces that you order or help to order to kill innocent youth. Can you imagine how you would enjoy life drinking black label whisky while the hero Abraha Warso is languishing in an unknown detention place suffering at the hand of the security forces you (help) order? Fat chance!! If you are dreaming of staying safe while our heroes are in detention, please wake up and apologize! Furthermore, If you think and consider yourself the most legal scholar among the walking dead of the TPLF, believe me we have better people than you. After all we know each other growing up. I am not going to spill the beans or wash dirty laundry in public. The day will come for it when all fails. For the sake of all of us, resign.
VICTORY FOR RAYANS!!