Mortaza JNF Mortaza JNF Sahibzada 3

‘liberation’ groups (or their militias); Russia is involved in the militarisation of various ethnic groups across Africa as a lever for its imperial ambitions – ed.] France dangles access to the seas in search of a market for its navy. China postures it is for non-interference in the internal affairs of countries, but, through its ‘belt-and- road’ programme, it has provided $4 billion inward investment and $15 billion in soft loans to the Ahmed regime, attempting to establish control of the natural resources in the country, in particular the mining of minerals – likewise it invests in every despotic regime it can find. Naturals resources are also the pertinent to the Egyptian connection. Egypt foments conflict (the late Mohammed Morsi also mis-stepping here) for control of the Nile waters originating in Ethiopia, and where a dam has been constructed for power generation in the arbitrarily-named Benishangul-Gumuz region. While dams have a bad reputation amongst environmentalists, often for good reason where they displace indigenous communities, they are required for renewable power generation in the developing world (a clash of virtues). As far as it is understood by the current author, it is not the case that the dam is intended for the purpose of irrigation (although there is no reason why Ethiopia should not make use of its own waters for the purposes of irrigation, Ethiopian cotton being highly desirable). Desperate to establish control over the TPLF, Ahmed sent the central army into the Tigray region, precipitating the ‘Tigray War’ (also known the ‘Northern Ethiopian War’, this began in Nov 2020). To an extent this was a smokescreen, with numerous atrocities visited again upon the Amhara population, including a massacre in the TPLF-annexed town of Mai-Kadra by Tigray (Samri) youth. Following the retreat of government forces from Tigray, TPLF/TDF forces invaded the Amhara and Afar regions (in June 2021) committing widespread war crimes (numerous cases of gang-rape and barbarity against children have been documented by human rights organisations and are recorded on video by the perpetrators to terrify and make despondent the community; many Amhara have been burnt alive, cannibalized, sexual violence committed in front of children and partners; 2 million have fled south5). There are credible accounts that Tigray and Oromo armed militants are carrying out joint operations in the Amhara and Afar regions (in Bethe-Amhara Wollo, Northern Shewa); the new regime and events of the war have expanded the map and volume of Amhara mass killings in all the so-named regions (Tigray, Oromia, Benishangul-Gumuz & Metekel, southern SNNPR, Amhara and Afar6). Oromia has become one of the most hostile regions. Ahmed’s opening gambit to bring back exiled OLF-OLA rebels (without effective disarming measures) and controversial diaspora activists (such as became regional president Shimelis Abdisa) who freely engage in hate speech (similar to that of Hindu nationalist leaders in India) has resulted in waves of violence and several massacres with no redress from parliament (Ahmed himself engaging in hate speech within parliament, as mentioned). Of concern are Dera and the surrounding lands in Shewa, largely Amhara-populated provinces that have been forcefully administered as part of the Oromia region since 2018.

Figure 1. A combatant in the Fano resistance (formed of farmers, traders, doctors, engineers etc) commended by her father as follows: “My name is Mr Assefa Demeke. I am the dean of North East college in Woldiya city. I am happy that my daughter, Dr Lidya Assefa, has joined the struggle for survival with the medical profession she trained in. Amhara is a shooter and a saint. So I am proud of you for your participation in both profession and patriotism. I'm glad that you are mine