Ethiopia, Addis Ababa, Bole Airport, September 09, 2018 Berhanu Nega returns to Ethiopia after many years in exile. With him many members of the opposition group Ginbot seven (Ginbot 7) returned. photo: Petterik Wiggers/Hollandse Hoogte Addis Ababa (AFP) - The popular leader of a formerly outlawed opposition group returned to Ethiopia on Sunday where he was greeted by a crowd of thousands after 11 years in exile, an AFP reporter witnessed. Berhanu Nega, the leader of the former armed movement Ginbot 7, returned with scores of other senior members of the group, after reformist Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed removed the group from a list of "terrorist" organisations in July. Speaking at a ceremony in the capital Addis Ababa, Berhanu said he had been forced to wage an armed struggle to fight for Ethiopians' rights, however recent political changes had convinced him to return to the country and conduct a peaceful campaign. Since taking office in April, Abiy has released imprisoned dissidents and prioritised reconciling with the country's various opposition groups in a country long under the iron-fisted rule of the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) coalition. "We didn't return to Ethiopia in the belief that all is settled, the political reform process faces risks from those who want to sabotage it as well as those impatient with the pace of change, however we've returned with the belief that we should contribute to the reform process," said Berhanu. One of Ginbot 7's supporters, Sileshi Bekele, told AFP he believed Berhanu was capable of transforming Ethiopian politics due to his support from the youth. "There is a young population which wants to see change, this youth has come out in mass to see the change, I as part of this group have come out to support the change, he said. Ginbot 7 had been accused by authorities of armed banditry and small-scale terrorist plots. Berhanu was elected mayor of Addis Ababa in a contentious May 2005 election, however was imprisoned before assuming office and accused of leading a civil insurrection with intent to overthrow the ruling party after accusing the EPRDF of trying to rig the results. His party called for street action that was violently suppressed by security forces, leading to the death of around 200 people. In the aftermath of the bloody protests Berhanu and other opposition leaders were jailed for 20 months before being released as part of a pardon agreement in July 2007. Ever since then the party has been based in neighbouring Eritrea -- former arch-foe of Ethiopia. As part of his reforms, Abiy has been credited with the lightning peace process between the two nations, who signed a peace pact in July, and have since re-opened embassies, trade routes and air links. The flurry of diplomacy in the Horn of Africa has also seen Somalia establish diplomatic links with Eritrea, while Eritrea this week made moves to end a long spat with neighbouring Djibouti. In August Abiy promised that the next election in Ethiopia in 2020 would be "free and fair" and promised a democratic transition if his party loses.
Medemer is the term the Prime Minister has popularized to describe the national reconciliation taking place. Its unifying message is designed to ameliorate the ethnic tension that has spread over the decades.
Yet the reasons for the extraordinary New Year feelings were also tangible. Ethiopia’s infamous prisons have been depopulated, so former political convicts like Bekele Gerba and Eskinder Nega could join their loved ones at a lavishly decorated dining tables.
Making the festive mood even sweeter, hundreds of expatriates who were forced to leave their homeland are also back where they belong.
Not least among them was former Addis Ababa mayor, Berhanu Nega, Ethiopia’s most important opposition figure, who gave a well-received New Year’s address in the capital’s stadium to his legions of supporters.
These events create a vibrant mood in a nation that has endured unrest, ethnic conflict, and looming state failure. Nevertheless, the sad reality is that nobody can confidently predict the next chapter in this so far uplifting story.
As we witness a grand historical narrative in the making, the messy contradictions of reality are also present. Those contradictions are concerning, as it is hard to sketch out a peaceful future, and, worse, discussions of the way forward are far from inclusive.
In theory, Abiy’s approach has opened all possible avenues for debate and free expression. But in practice it is mostly just the usual activists and politicians preaching to their long-converted congregations. Democratization of politics, and the devolution of power to the people, the ultimate goal of the reform process, is therefore on ice.
The simple truth is that rallies, speeches and other spectacles do not provide what the people hoped for
The simple truth is that rallies, speeches and other spectacles do not provide what the people hoped for, and many have died for. At some point, we Ethiopians will be angered to realize that so-called reform in Ethiopia doesn’t mean anything other than elite politics-as-usual, but ths time under the banner of freedom and transformation.
Public discussion is the lifeblood of democratic reform. The mission of those taking the lead should be facilitating vigorous open debate, not telling everybody to get along despite their differences. Ethiopians do not need to be paternalized. They need to be empowered.
Prime Minister Abiy has made himself the embodiment of the reform process, but that is too much for any individual to bear. And if reform revolves around his persona, it discourages people from criticizing their leader, as liberated citizens must do.
Abiy’s surging popularity must not stem dissent. And the more it does, the more dangerous a narrow reform process will become. But as well as a break from the past to discover the importance of scrutinizing, and sometimes ridiculing, the powerful, Ethiopia needs a champion of pluralistic democracy.
Patrotic Ginbot 7 leader Berhanu brings economic rigor and liberal values, and many would like to see him playing the pivotal role in helping institute democratization and encourage public participation. Professor Berhanu made an unconvincing ragtag rebel in Eritrea during his exile, but he is a highly convincing politician, who has the courage of his convictions.
He may well be tied-up in transition issues for a while, as his movement looks to bed back into a country whose government, until recently, classified it alongside Al Shabaab. But, as the ethnic clashes infiltrate Addis Ababa, there is little time to waste before trying to kickstart an inclusive national conversation, and, ultimately, liberalize Ethiopia’s elite-dominated political discourse.
Only then will the Ethiopian crowds truly have something to cheer about.
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Photos: Berhanu Nega at a press conference at Bole International Airport, Addis Ababa, on Sept 9, Petterik Wiggers
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This was the most important line from the article: "The mission of those taking the lead should be facilitating vigorous open debate, not telling everybody to get along despite their differences."
I think this is crucial for all Ethiopians to understand, accept, and cherish. Unity is not unanimity.
I feel Abiy Ahmed is more of a mobilizing prime minister than a reformer. His bold personal style distinguishes him from his predecessor. The initiative to bring all those opposition and exiled groups home is no easy feat, I can’t imagine anyone doing that. It true that a growing sense of disillusion with old ways and corrupt practices paved the way for a new approach. Abiy is an accidental leader and in some ways hijack the EPRDF party. He sees himself as providing the political resolution that had been lacking in Hailemarima’s time or before. But influential politicians are still required to push the new policies. I am not sure if Abiy is surrounded by them.