nazret.com Merkato Blog

“Ethiopia in grave danger” a case against Mr. Isaiass -Part 2

By Tibebe Samuel Ferenji

I hope this will not be considered a personal argument with Mr. Neamin; I believe, we owe it to ourselves to learn the truth about the past in order to go forward. It is our civic duty to differentiate facts from fictions and to fend our history from those who revise it intentionally to make it fit to their personal and political agenda. As I was prepared to write the second part, a friend of mine called me and informed me Mr. Neamin’s response to my writings. For any one who read Mr. Neamin’s article, what he is trying to tell us is more of the same. In an attempt to impugn my credibility, once again he has twisted what I have stated and attempted to back peddle in his previous assertions. More over, what I stated are facts from primary sources. Mr. Neamin is still narrating part 2 of the “history of the coup” without addressing part 1. No one is disputing the involvement of the Generals in the 1989 coup. No one accused the generals working with the EPLF and the CIA. Mr. Neamin is purposely distorting what I have said to fit his political agenda.

To make his point, Mr. Neamin has provided us half baked truth and meaningless accusations. In attempt to make his point, he seems to repeat one phrase again and again like a Parrott. Repeating a phrase doesn’t make his statement any more truthful. The statements I made are in reference to the books written by Major Seleshi and Major Getachew. As far as I know, these are the only two people who have written their account of the “deal” behind the coup; neither the Generals nor anyone else has written extensively about The Free Ethiopian Soldiers Movement (TFESM) with the exception of Major Seleshi and Major Getachew. Major Dawit failed to address, in his books, the detailed role he played during the coup; In fact he reefer's us to Major Seleshi’s book “ANDENET BANDENET.

Initially this is what Mr. Neamin said regarding Major Dawit’s involvement in the Coup “contrary to the writer’s claims, Maj. Dawit did not play a direct role in the May 89 coup. Maj. Dawit was the one who (he) initiated contact with EPLF. Not the other way around”. The validity of this statement is refuted by the statement made by Major Dawit himself. In his book “Kihdet Bedem Meret” Major Dawit talks about the meeting he had with Isaiass and Petrose Solomon in London. This is what Major Dawit said regarding his meeting, “The main purpose of the discussion was to shape an agreement with Shabya what the future of Eritrea would be should the Ethiopian Free Soldiers Movement conduct a coup in Ethiopia.” This meeting took place few years before the 1989 coup. More over Major Dawit in his article of June 29, 2009 clearly stated “I met the leadership of the EPLF and current President Issaias Afwerki several times in Europe and America and ultimately in Nakfa, through the back door into those parts of Eritrea controlled by the EPLF and meeting the leaders, the very people I have been fighting and condemning for years felt weird to me. That was the time when we were trying to coordinate the external factors with internal preparations for a coup.” (Major Dawit Woldegiorgis) emphasis added.

I don’t know in what language Mr. Neamin is reading, but the statements made by Major Dawit refute Mr. Neamin’s assertion that Major Dawit did not play a direct role in the 1989 coup. In fact, if anything, the evidence shows that Major Dawit was involved from the get go to coordinate the coup. In any of my writings, I did not say that Major Dawit himself said that he was working for the CIA. Mr. Neamin intentionally distorted my statements. As I have clearly said, it is Major Getachew Yerom who exposed CIA’s role in the 1989 coup. Since CIA’s conduct and associating with the CIA is a HASh-HASh business, no one wants to talk about it openly.

Unfortunately, Mr. Neamin is reading what is not written. Where in the world did Mr. Neamin read where I said General Kumelachew had any contact with the EPLF? Mr. Neamin intentionally distorted material fact to fit his own assertion. Since Mr. Neamin attempted to impugn my integrity and because he felt that he is more informed than anyone else because he was “surrounded” himself by generals, I made it clear that I knew General Kumelachew and that I had an immense pleasure of meeting General Wobetu. I did not imply in any shape or form the personal notes that I have from General Kumlachew indicated the involvement of the EPLF in the coup. I wanted to point out that Mr. Neamin in his attempt to discredit my points stated things he knew nothing about my relationship with General Kumelachew. In a statement that sounded immature and childish, Mr. Neamin attempted to tell us he had audio tapes from General Kumelachew. This of course is another posturing.

Mr. Neamin seems to think replacing the list of the names of Generals with the list of “Books to read” would help him to refute facts with fictions. It is sad to see that Mr. Neamin undermines the inelegance of his audience. Let me make it clear in a language that Mr. Neamin may understand. I do agree with him that the Generals did not conspire with the EPLF; however the contentious issue here is Major Dawit’s role, CIA’s role and EPLF’s role in the 1989 coup. As I have stated in my previous writings, the 1989 coup was right from the play book of the CIA. The 1977 plan to assassinate Colonel Mengistu Hailemariam or his deputy shed’s some light what the intention of the CIA was then. For any one who has an iota of brain in his skull would understand the 1989 coup’s objective was similar as the 1977 plan. Here is a portion of a transcript from the CIA operative’s telegram intercepted by the KGB.

“The second telegram describes the conduct of operations envisioned in the first telegram:
- Assassination of the head of government will lead to chaos and disorder in Ethiopia. Following that the advancement of Forces 1 and 2 into the southwest will ensue.
- Establishment of this second front will prevent the Ethiopian forces from focusing attention on the other front. This will create a desirable opportunity for an attack from the southeast and will result in a two-pronged conflict.
- Ethiopia will automatically attack the Sudan, and the intensification of activity in the southeast will, within two weeks, lead to a similar situation in Somalia”.

As in 1977, the 1989 coup’s main purpose was to create chaos and disorder in Ethiopia. The EPLF was willing to use this opportunity to achieve its objectives. As I have made it clear the link between the EPLF and the generals was Major Dawit. In fact any one who listened Major General Fanta Belay’s statement on you tube (you can Google it by typing Fanta Belay) would find similar statements in Major Dawit’s article. On June 29, 2009 article Major Dawit stated “In an official agreement the EPLF stated that when and if the coup takes place, it will immediately cease fire and be part of the transitional government to discuss the future of Eritrea”. To imply that Major Dawit did not play a leading role in the 1989 coup is disingenuous, devious and an insult to the inelegance of many Ethiopians.

Other than saying that Tibebe fabricated that or this, Mr. Neamin did not provide a shred of facts to refute Major Seleshi’s, Major Getachew’s and Major Dawit’s accounts of the 1989 coup plot behind close doors. These three individuals have first hand information regarding the origination of the 1989 coup and CIA’s role. These three individuals had direct dealings with the EPLF officials. These individuals have information that the Generals didn’t have. More over, Mr. Neamin in a very deceptive and disingenuous remark tried to tell us the presence of 200,000 strong army in Eritrea. This is a blatant revision of history. In fact since the beginning of 1988, the Ethiopian army in Tigray and in Eritrea was in trouble. Unless Mr. Neamin is delusional or suffers from selective amnesia, several accounts indicate that the state of the Ethiopian army in the beginning of 1989 was far from being an effective fighting force. In fact, the Ethiopian army was in a defensive position when Mengistu visited Af-Abet in February 1988. Mengistu, angry with the conduct of the military leaders, executed General Tariku Ayane and demoted General Kebde Gashi who was the commander of MEKIT, and took measures against other high ranking officials. It was after a month of the execution of General Tariku that by all account “the strategic command center” of Af-abet fell in to the hands of the EPLF. Major Dawit Woldegiorgis describes the state of the army then as follows:

“ In less than 48 hours, rebel forces numbering 15,000 overran 30 miles of defense line destroying elite force of close to 100,000”.

More over, it is disingenuous in part of Mr. Neamin to omit the fact that in February 1989, the EPLF mechanized force assisted the TPLF in the battle of Shire-Endasilassie where the Third Revolutionary Army was forced to leave the entire region of Tigray. In 1989, before the coup, what we had was a demoralized and disoriented army. I don’t know where Mr. Neamin took his course in military strategy, as he pointed out I am not an expert in a military strategy; however, I am a student of logic. In such state of disorganization and a spirit of defeat, I find it significant the removal of 400 elite troops from Asmara. Mr. Neamin in his naïve assessment failed to realize that the EPLF had fighters in Dekmhare, Mendfera and in the heart of Asmara posing as civilians. The EPLF was engaged in a guerrilla warfare.

In my opinion, the intention of the EPLF was to create chaos and havoc in Ethiopia. The plan was while Ethiopia is immersed in a civil war, for Mr. Issaias to establish his “Kingdom” in Eritrea. I don’t even think that the EPLF wanted the coup to succeed. Looking at the whole picture, it is mind boggling people like General Wobetu who were expected to play a key role in bringing the army stationed in Tolay to defend the coup plotters were informed about the coup one day before the attempted coup took place. If Mr. Neamin has any credible evidence to refute the account of Major Seleshi, Major Getachew Yerome even Major Dawit regarding the event that led to the coup, we all are ears and eager to hear it. Taking dismissive and evasive approach will not help Mr. Neamin to set the record straight. Invoking patriotic feelings and wrapping oneself with a flag and “surrounding” oneself with list of Generals doesn’t help to make a valid point; nor it assists to refute facts with a revised version of history to glorify some of those who helped the brutal regime of Colonel Mengistu to reign for 17 years. We don’t need a reminder that some of the high ranking officials had a front seat at Mengistu’s table with “a golden plate” before them.

In a personal note: I am not the issue here, however to set the record straight, the last time I saw Mr. Neamin was on April 2, 2005 during the UEDF fundraising event where he was selling Dr. Negede Gobezie’s book. Though I was not roaming in the corridors of Washington, it is suffice to say that I was at the heart of a place where a genuine struggle to make a genuine difference is taking place. Though Mr. Neamin is trying to tell us that he has no business talking to us regarding the relation some in the Ethiopian opposition are trying to establish with Mr. Issaias, he needs to know that I and people like me would be challenging you and opposing you every step of the way. Once we were told by Mr. Meles how Great Issaias was, Ethiopians do not need another propaganda about the greatness of Mr. Issaias. We all know how conning, deceptive, ruthless, and egomaniac he is. Most of all the evidence that I would provide will show that Issaias is a brutal murderer who did not even spare the lives of the people he considered his friends when his power is challenged; and he is a man who speaks with a fork tang. Again, Mr. Neamin, thank you for your time.