Open letter to His Excellences Crown prince Håkon and Crown princess Mette Marit of Norway

Your Excellences Crown Prince Håkon and Crown Princess Mette Marit of Norway

We Ethiopians and Norwegians of Ethiopian origin, living in Norway have heard that you are travelling to Ethiopia during the coming few days of time. We are happy that you got the time to visit that historic and ancient country in Africa.

Your Excellences,

We believe that you are aware of the current political situation in Ethiopia. The Country is ruled by the regime TPLF/EPRDF for the last 26 years. The political atmosphere in the country is deteriorating over time during the past 26 years of TPLF’s rule, and now it is transforming to chaotic situation. Today, anti-government demonstrations costing human lives are a day-by-day phenomenon in many parts of the country.

The regime incites conflict between the various ethnic groups as part of its long-standing ‘divide and rule’ strategy to stay in power. These conflicts become out of control even for the regime itself. Ethiopians face killing, imprisonment, eviction from their holdings on a daily bases.

Ethiopia is standing at a cross road and crying for help. This help is not material investment, but distancing from the current regime that prohibit Ethiopians coexist peacefully and in harmony in Ethiopia.  TPLF is the driving force of the regime in Ethiopia. As its name tells, the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) stands for a minority ethnic group in Ethiopia and promoting dangerous ethnic based politics that leads the country into disintegration.

Your Excellences,

We are well aware that the Norwegian government is one of those who has good relationship with the regime in Ethiopia. Norway as a peace-loving country would not have created a friendship with a regime that mercilessly kill and deny basic human rights to its people.

A country, like Norway, known for its long tradition of conflict resolution and maintenance of peace and stability, should stand with the Ethiopian people, but not with the ethnocentric corrupt dictators.

Ethiopia today need countries, institutions, government officials and individuals, like Your Excellences, who advocate Human Rights and rule of law.

Your Excellences,

If Your Excellences are travelling to Ethiopia to encourage business and investment under the current brutal regime in Ethiopia, you are making a historic mistake. Ethiopians consider investment in Ethiopia at this moment is not only unsafe but also unethical.

The regime in Ethiopia has evicted millions of farmers, pastoralists and urban dwellers and sold their farmland and holdings for the so-called foreign investors. Selling/leasing farmland to foreign investors without properly compensating poor owners was described as one of the alarming land grab in Africa. Land grab in Ethiopia is condemned by many international organizations.

We hope the scheduled visit of your Excellences to Ethiopia may focus on issues of Human Rights and stabilization of a better political atmosphere in the country rather than business and investment with a corrupt and murderous regime.

Yours faithfully,

Ethio-Norwegians in Norway,