𝐔𝐒 𝐀𝐦𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐚𝐝𝐨𝐫 𝐌𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐚 𝐆𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐄𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐨𝐩𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐆𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐯𝐞

First posted on X (Twitter) on August 29, 2024
https://x.com/AlMariam1/status/1829000589465796844

𝐔𝐒 𝐀𝐦𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐚𝐝𝐨𝐫 𝐌𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐚 𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐄𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐨𝐩𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐯𝐞: 𝐀𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐚 𝐛𝐮𝐦𝐩𝐲 𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐞, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐦𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐚𝐝𝐨𝐫 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐞

Almost a year ago, US Ambassador Ervin Massinga began his diplomatic service in Ethiopia. I have followed his nomination, Senate confirmation hearing and activities in Ethiopia with vigilant attention. From the beginning, I was very suspicious of his appointment. I thought he was a “hit man” for Susan Rice, a frequent target of my diatribes and moral condemnation for over a decade, and for whom I reserved colorful epithets such as “American Woyane” and the “Princess of Darkness” for masterminding the gang of TPLF terrorists that attacked the Ethiopian Northern Command in November 2020, wreaking havoc throughout the country for more than 2 years resulting in the deaths of a million Ethiopians.

Truth be told, I first became suspicious of ambassador-designate when I heard his testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and read his hearing statement. I believed every word that came out of his mouth was programmed by Susan Rice, and sliced and diced them. I made it my business to respond to every public statement Ambassador Massinga made with vituperative invective because I believed he was programmed to be provocative and disrespectful towards the Ethiopian people and government, and contemptuous of Ethiopian culture. I took every word he said in public as an offense to my personal dignity and honor, not just to Ethiopia, its people and government. I responded to him with harsh and coarse language. I assailed his intelligence, professionalism, character, integrity, identity and personal dignity.

Many people, including those in the diplomatic community were shocked by my relentless and ferocious attacks on him. I am always ready to visit the wrath of my quill (pen) on anyone who dishonors and scandalizes the name of Ethiopia. Over the past couple of months, I have seen palpable changes in Ambassador Massinga’s attitude, public statements and actions. He has toned down what I believe to be needlessly acerbic criticism of the Ethiopian government. He has put out positive and encouraging messages to the Ethiopian government and showed his willingness to help and cooperate in different areas. He has shown steadfast support for the Pretorial Agreement and its successful implementation. He has visited various locations to see the progress of US-supported projects. He has even invited the press to visit the US embassy and show them around. (I don’t recall any previous US ambassador who has opened the US Embassy in Ethiopia for a press visit.) It was heartwarming to see him trying to prepare home-made injera (Ethiopia’s national “bread”) in the Embassy’s kitchen. (See video below.) 𝐈 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐀𝐦𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐚𝐝𝐨𝐫 𝐌𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐚 𝐢𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐚 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐦 𝐨𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐰𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐄𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐨𝐩𝐢𝐚. 𝐈 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐢𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠. 𝐈 𝐚𝐦 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐬𝐞𝐞.

The fact of the matter is that both I and Ambassador Massinga are Americans. We are African Americans. I was born in Ethiopia and lived in America for more than one-half century. Ambassador Massinga’s ancestors came from Mozambique, likely from the town of Massinga, in Inhambane Province, in south-east Mozambique. Both I and Ambassador Massinga have special responsibilities in Ethiopia. He as the official representative of the US government in Ethiopia and I as a prominent Ethiopian American professor and lawyer who has done his service in America by defending the American Constitution and American civil liberties and civil rights, and equally by defending human rights and the rule of law in Ethiopia.

𝐀𝐬 𝐄𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐨𝐩𝐢𝐚-𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐀𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐬, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐠𝐮𝐢𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐀𝐦𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐚𝐝𝐨𝐫 𝐌𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐛𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐃𝐎 𝐍𝐎 𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐌 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝/𝐨𝐫 𝐠𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐄𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐨𝐩𝐢𝐚. 𝐖𝐞 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐚𝐯𝐨𝐢𝐝 𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐮𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐝𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐳𝐞, 𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐳𝐞, 𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐳𝐞, 𝐩𝐨𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐳𝐞, 𝐝𝐞𝐡𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐳𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐳𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐄𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐨𝐩𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐠𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭. 𝐎𝐮𝐫 𝐬𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐝 𝐠𝐮𝐢𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐛𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐃𝐎 𝐆𝐎𝐎𝐃 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐠𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐄𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐨𝐩𝐢𝐚, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐝𝐨 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐰𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐩𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐲 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐮𝐧𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲.

Ambassador Massigna said he shall work to create educational and training opportunities for young, well-qualified Ethiopians in the US. I support that effort because I got my education and training in the US taking advantage of extraordinary educational opportunities. I applaud Ambassador Massinga for taking action to help Ethiopian institutions, particularly in seeking to enhance judicial efficiency and responsiveness. I support his efforts because I am a lawyer and have seen and participated in programs aimed at improving the judicial process at the state level in the US. Ambassador Massinga, to my understanding, fully supports the Pretoria Agreement and restoring peace and stability in the northern region of Ethiopia. He has declared the only way Ethiopians can solve their political and social problems is through dialogue and give and take.

I believe in the principle of Ethiopian solutions for Ethiopian problems. Ethiopians can solve their own problems without external intervention or direction. I am sure they will ask for help from friends if they need it. Ambassador Massinga, to my understanding, condemns any efforts to overthrow the democratically elected government of Ethiopia by means of terrorism or violence. From now on, the only way political change will come in Ethiopia is through the ballot and not the bullet. ከአሁን በህዋላ በኢትዮጵያ ለውጥ ማምጣት የሚቻለው አይደለም በጡጫ ፣ በርግጫ ፣ በጠመንጃ ። ይሆናል ብቻ በህዝብ ምርጫ !

Ambassador Massinga, like me, supports protections for human rights and preservation of the rule of law. The best approach to improving human rights is by addressing violations with the Ethiopian government and providing the government the means to deal with rights violations, by helping to strengthen Ethiopian institutions. Human rights issues should be addressed with support for institutional mechanisms of legal accountability. Human rights must never be political football or weaponized for partisan propaganda purposes.

I hope Ambassador Massinga will continue on his positive path to improving Ethiopia-US relations. There is much work to be done to bring our two peoples closer and join in shared prosperity. I regret to say that there are many Ethiopian Americans who are bitter and hold hard feeling against the Democrat Party in the US because of the Biden administration’s support for the terrorist TPLF resulting in the deaths of a million people.

I became a MAGA Republican because of what certain Biden administration officials and certain members in Congress did to prolong the TPLF terrorist war in Ethiopia. It is unlikely that I will ever support the Democrat Party in the US. But Ambassador Massinga and I can set aside our ideological/party differences and work in our own ways for the betterment, peace, prosperity and progress of Ethiopia. 𝐀𝐬 𝐀𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐬, 𝐰𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐛𝐞 𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐚𝐢𝐬𝐥𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐀𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐚𝐬 𝐀𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐄𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐨𝐩𝐢𝐚 𝐰𝐞 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐛𝐞 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐦, #𝐓𝐞𝐚𝐦𝐄𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐨𝐩𝐢𝐚!