The great sages of Ethiopia had a saying about people who prescribe near to impossible tasks for others while they are safely tucked in comfort at home. �Leteqmatch semyi qirbu.� [In a word for word translation it means: to a person who is seated the sky is close to his/her touch.] Thus, I hesitate greatly to make a public statement calling on my fellow Ethiopians, who are already held captive in the very belly of the beast, to stand up against Meles Zenawi and remove him from power before he accomplished the destruction of our Ethiopia. The treasonous and deceitful steps taken by Meles Zenawi in collusion with foreign governments (some of whom are our historic enemies who have sought our destruction for centuries, and others have just joined the bandwagon recently) is common knowledge. In the last two years, very many distinguished Ethiopians have elaborated, explained, and demonstrated to tens of thousands of Ethiopians in the Diaspora and at home the great conspiracy to bottle-in Ethiopia first and destroy it step by step. 

My call to you all, the heroic sons and daughters of Ethiopia, is not a rehash, but a spirit of revival and hope due to recent occurrences in Tygraie. It seems patriotic members of the Ethiopian military in Tygraie have refused to go along with the demarcation program that the Government of Meles Zenawi is pushing. I salute all those involved with the dissention and refusal to obey Meles Zenawi�s anti-Ethiopia policy or order including the present administrators of the region who seem to be showing courageous resistance. I say to you all that Meles Zenawi�s government is like a house of cards; it only requires one spark of patriotism to engulf it with fire. Meles Zenawi�s government is a �Trojan Horse� as the distinguished scholar Tseggai Mebrahtu aptly puts it, fronting for all kinds of enemies of the Ethiopian people. I say let us disembowel this artificial monster and show the World its treasonous innards.

I say to you all with all of my soul to stay the course. Meles Zenawi and his associates have committed numerous crimes against the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ethiopia. They have deliberately weakened the Military Forces of Ethiopia making Ethiopia vulnerable to attack by its enemies. However, we all know no amount of weapon can win over a determined patriotic nationalist Ethiopian force. This is our time to act.  Arm the people of Tygraie. Have a testament among yourselves not to give a chance for Meles and his agents to infiltrate and destroy you. You are reaching a point of no return. You have so much support abroad and at home that this change of outlook and commitment may not involve any form of violence. Just start the rebellion.  And Meles and associates will be dashing out of there to escape the wrath of the Ethiopian people, from their palace hideaways in a flash.

The United Nations Security Council has no right whatsoever to dictate to us to give up our sovereignty and territorial integrity in the guise of border demarcation. No nation on Earth can force us to forgo our nationality and citizenship. If war is inevitable then we are not the ones who started it, but other nations and governments who overstepped their role as members of the United Nations and tried to impose on a peaceful people �agreements� and boundary demarcations by force. We have every right to repeal any form of military force whether that force is wearing blue insignia or any other color.

Ethiopia, the land of the cradle of mankind, the site of great civilization, the land of the beginning of humanism of justice and law, the land of great warriors and freedom loving people, the pride of the Black Man the world over et cetera is not going to meet its end on the conspiracy of upstart nations and their governments, hired mercenaries, turncoats, and corrupt leaders.  We Ethiopians still have a lot of fight within us!

Tecola W. Hagos,

Washington DC, August 1, 2003