I would also like to point out that despite having a brief encounter with Mr. Neamin on a couple of occasions, and knowing his work with the Ethiopian Register magazine a few years ago, I do not know him well enough to impugn his motive. My opposition is to the position that he has taken regarding Mr. Issaias’ role in Ethiopia’s political affair. Mr. Neamin tried to argue by asserting some rules that reflect the school of thoughts from some quarters; in the process however, he seems to forget that there is always an exception to any rule. It may be beneficial to ally with one’s enemy in the principle of “The enemy of my enemy is my friend”; such school of thoughts nevertheless always has exceptions.
Since Mr. Neamin raised some issues on my integrity to cast doubt on what I have said and asserted his opinion as facts in a matter he knows nothing about, I think it would be appropriate to set the record straight. I did not suddenly appear in the political arena or in opposing this particular issue. I have been in politics since I was 13 years old and have been an independent thinker. I do believe Mr. Neamin is aware that I wrote the piece titled “Issaias: a friend of Ethiopia?” in May 2009, and my attempt to post it was blocked by the website owner that Mr. Neamin is closely working with on this issue. I think it was unnecessary posturing on his part, to omit this material fact to score a political point. More over, I owe it to my self to set the record straight regarding my relationship with General Kumlachew Dejene. Mr. Neamin’s attempt to convey that somehow he is more informed about the coup because he spent time with General Kumelachew while gasping his last breath is also pretentious and self serving.
I had an immense pleasure of meeting and knowing General Kumelachew Dejene. I also had the honor of having a lengthy discussion with the General and have his personal notes in my hands. General Kumelachew operated his business under my brother’s company and he used to go to my brother’s office weekly to pick up his insurance “certificate”. I always remember his facial expressions whenever he spoke the challenges he faced in Eritrea. One day, he said to me, in a very proud and unwavering tone, “Ato Tibebe, we didn’t fight for Derg, we fought to protect the territorial integrity of Ethiopia as we knew it”. I also had the honor and the opportunity to assist him in his effort to bring a family member to the United States. I did not impugn the integrity and the sacrifice made either by General Kumlachew or his comrades in any shape or form, nor did I question their patriotism. In fact, I made it clear that it was Major Dawit who established the contact with the EPLF and with the Ethiopian Generals. As Mr. Neamin stated in his article, Major Dawit had contact with General Fanta Belay who was the 1989 coup leader. This of course is half of the story and Mr. Neamin failed to tell us the whole truth because the facts did not serve his purpose.
Mr. Neamin also tried to tell us that the book by Major Seleshi Fissha (ANDENET BEANDENT) had its limitations and cited his evidence by saying he heard it from Major Seleshi himself. This of course is self serving. In fact, Major Dawit in his book “KIHDET BEDEM MERIET” credited Major Seleshi’s book ANDENET BEANDENET. Neither Major Dawit nor anyone else disputed the facts in the book. Though I read the book (Andenet Bandnet) about 17 years ago, I still remember it in great detail because I found the conduct of those involved so offensive and dangerous. These are people who should have known better.
In addition to Major Seleshi’s book, Major Getachew Yerom, one of the founding members of The Free Ethiopian Soldiers Movement, had written in great detail about this organization’s role in the 1989 coup. I have known Major Getachew for years and had detailed discussions about the events of 1989 coup, his book, and about Major Seleshi’s book. I also had the immense pleasure and honor of meeting General Woubtu when he came to Washington and had a brief discussion with him about the 1989 coup. Since Mr. Neamin does not know anything about me, it would be sufficed to stick with the issue without impugning my integrity.
Though written eloquently, Mr. Neamin sounded someone who is narrating a story of a sequel movie without watching the original one. Neither the Generals nor Major. Dawit did not just wake up one day and decided to plot a coup. There is more to the story than it meets the eyes. Reading Dr. Alem Eshte’s “a case against the CIA”, I just wonder how he missed CIA’s role in the 1989 coup. Dr. Alem had even exposed Issaias’ first encounter with the CIA and how Issaias came to the power that he enjoys today with the assistance of the CIA. This of course is a topic for another day. Let me shade some lights how and why the 1989 coup Against Colonel Mengistu was initiated.
When Ronald Regan took power in 1982, one of his major policies was to encounter Soviet’s expansion in Latin America and Africa. His point man to this policy was the current Defense Secretary Robert Gate, then Deputy Director of the CIA. The CIA was looking for partners to topple Mengistu in order to deter Soviet’s expansion. The CIA found a partner named Major Dawit Woldegiorgis to accomplish its objective. Initially, even the Deressa brothers who formed the Ethiopian People Democratic Alliance (EPDA) were consulted. Somehow, there was fallout between the Deressa Brothers and Major Dawit and major Dawit became the main player in this saga.
In its imminent wisdom, the CIA assumed the only way to destabilize Mengistu was to strengthen the EPLF and the TPLF. More over, as its tradition tells us, the CIA is well versed in orchestrating coups all over the world. The 1989 coup was born out of the CIA play book to encounter the Soviet Union in Africa. Once the CIA made Major Dawit the point man or this objective, Major Dawit began recruiting former officers who defected from the military regime. Among the recruited for The Free Ethiopian Soldiers Movement (TFESM) were Major Seleshi Fisseha, Major Getachew Yerom and Captain Tsegaye Biru. Major Dawit established contact with Mr. Issaias and also with General Fanta Belay. There is no evidence and I did not imply in any shape or form that the Generals knew the involvement of the EPLF in this tragic drama. In fact, as I have stated in the past, the coup failed when some of the Generals became aware the involvement of the EPLF in the orchestrated coup, and they did not want to become partners with sworn enemy of Ethiopia.
Mr. Neamin tried to tell us that the Generals initiated the Coup by citing his friend’s book “Abate Yachin Seat” which he wrote the review for. With all due respect to the author, the book can’t be referred as an objective material let alone a historical record. The author is to close to his subject and would not write any short comings of his father whom he holds to the highest honor and who is his hero. In fact, the book review is extremely exaggerated and the claim that the book is written with an enormous research and even from documents obtained from US State Department record through Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) is ridiculous and laughable. The book has one record found through FOIA which shows the denial of General Kumlachew Dejene’s asylum claim in American embassy in Addis Ababa. There are no serious historical work references and the author himself had stated that people like General Kumelachew did not provide him some essential information. The book review is as misleading as the article titled “EPLF and the ’89 coup: Setting the record straight”. More over, the hand written note by General Demessie Bullto is only the 1984 notes. There is nothing in the hand written notes of General Demissie about the 1989 coup. Mainly, “the story” in “Abate Yachine Seat” is told by a son from what he heard from his father. The book is well written and should be read, but it is hardly a historical work and to pass it as such by Mr. Neamin is disingenuous.
In fact, Mr. Neamin tried to tell us, that the coup was not orchestrated by the EPLF because the EPLF declared cease fire on its own initiative is an insult to our intelligence. Mr. Neamin knows his assertion is dubious because Major Dawit in article he wrote in June 2009 posted on Nazret.com clearly stated that he negotiated the cease fire with the EPLF.
It is clear that Mr. Neamin has some information regarding the activities of some of the Generals during the coup; this actually is the second part of “the Movie”; it seems that Mr. Neamin was taking a nap through the first part of the “movie”. Reading Major Getachew Yerom’s book would shed some light regarding the role of the CIA in this coup. For those of us who are old enough, we remember vice president George Bush’s trip to the Sudan. In March 1985, when the then Vice President George H.W. Bush went to the Sudan, he had meetings with the TPLF and the EPLF. The US had additional interest in addition to eliminating Soviet’s expansion in Africa. The United States wanted to assist the Israelis in their effort to take Ethiopian Jews from Ethiopia to Israel. The TPLF and the EPLF were willing partners to assist in that effort and the US was willing to supply arms, funds, advice and other essential needs of the rebels.
Mr. Neamin’s attempt to wrap himself with the “heroic” deeds of Ethiopian soldiers is admirable. His attempt to invoke our patriotism however, is questionable and providing us with the lists of Generals and their respective positions does not make the story any true. Though I did not impugn and judged the conduct of the Generals, I am not going to sing Kumbaya and buy the claim that all those who wore the uniform were heroes. General Demessie Bullto has clearly stated that the army, particularly the high ranking officials did not always serve the best interest of the nation and their people. In “Abate Yachine Seat”, page 257, he is quoted as saying: “We are the one who made the Ethiopian people cowards; we played on them, now we have to stand up for them”. Thanks for the couraeous act of journalist Solomon Kifle; we have witnessed how high ranking military officials acted shamelessly and recklessly in the middle of the war zone while our ordinary soldiers were denied decent meals left in fox’s hole to be butchered. I will late the Ethiopian people pass the judgment; I have neither the desire nor the will to condemn them.
Ato Derge Demissie in his book tells a story about his encounter with one young officer during his trip to Asmara. The officer who was traveling to Eritrea with Mr. Derge was an officer who was ordered to return from the Soviet Union cutting short his military education. In this story, we are told because of the shortage of Military Personnel at that time, young officers were forced to leave their education and training and return to Ethiopia to assist with the war effort. The country was pulling all its military personnel from everywhere, and I find it incredible that Mr. Neamin who wrote a review for this book attempt to convince us that taking 400 elite military force from Asmara was insignificant.
Mr. Neamin, I agree with you that we have to set the record straight; however, it has to be straighten out with facts not with shallow rhetoric and not definitely by distorting and revising history to make it fit once agenda. As the late Senator Monahan said “You are entitled to your opinion but not to your facts”. The facts are that Major Dawit had a primary role in recruiting generals like Fanta Belay; the facts are, Major Dawit had several meetings with Issaias; the facts are Issaias wanted chaos and bloodshed in Ethiopia; the facts are, the 1989, coup was initiated by the CIA, led by Major Dawit, orchestrated by Mr. Issaias, and conducted by General Fanata Belay and by others under him. I have no doubt that you have read Major Dawit’s article written on June 29, 2009, because his response was prompted by your article. In his article titled “The Way Forward for Ethiopia and Eritrea” this is what he said regarding his role in the 1989 coup
“After I left the Derg at the end of 1985, I became actively involved in the effort to overthrow the regime through the movement we had established, The Free Ethiopian Soldiers Movement. The first attempt was the failed coup of the generals. I and my colleagues did the external arrangement for the coup. During those times I went into the area controlled by the EPLF in Nakfa”. (Major Dawit Woldegiorgis).
More over, in the same article major Dawit stated: “At one point, I was discussing with the leader of the EPLF, the current President of Eritrea, Issaias Afewerki. I asked him why instead of partitioning Ethiopia, he does not become the President of Ethiopia. He gave me some reason why this would not be possible but assured me “You can be certain Mr. Dawit, that if and when we get our independence, our priority will be to unite the people under some sort of federal arrangement.” What was amazing is that Mr. Issaias was planning to arrest Major. Dawit when he planned to return to Nakfa the last time. Though I have no evidence, I believe that Major Dawit was tipped by the CIA and decided not to return to Eritrea. Mr. Neamin, please tell us who is trying to rewrite history?
For the record, Colonel Mengistu in the 11 audio tapes that he released in early 1990s narrating his departure from Ethiopia, he chastised Major Dawit for his role for the demise of the Colonel’s reign in Ethiopia. I believe, the Colonel is aware Major Dawit’s role with the EPLF. Colonel Mengistu in one of his audio tape said “The blunder that Dawit has done is a mistake that a child who sucks his thumb wouldn’t do”. I am afraid, I have to agree with Colonel Mengistu in this assertion.
Though we are side tracked here, the contentious issue is the role of Mr. Issaias in Ethiopian politics. On the second part I will provide additional facts why Issaias should not be trusted. Thank you Mr. Neamin for bringing the debate to the table.
——- The writer can be reached at [email protected]
