Bereket Simon denouncing ethnic cleansing committed by himself

 

The Horn Times Newsletter-26 October, 2012
by Getahune Bekele

Dutch courage? A TPLF warlord denounces the 1998 ethnic cleansing campaign.

Described as the late fuehrer Meles Zenawi’s lap dog and a pathological anti- Ethiopianism, Bereket Simon, have caused a massive controversy by openly denouncing Africa’s biggest post colonial ethnic cleansing campaign of 1998, committed by himself and the dead tyrant.

The massive campaign of forcibly removing Ethio-Eritreans, including women and children was started in 1998 immediately after Eritrean war planes raided Mekele, the capital of Tigray republic, killing several students at Aider primary school.

The incident later grow into full blown boarder war where more than 70,000 souls perished in a battle resembled the bloody trench warfare of the first world war; just for control of a tiny dust bowl known as Badime.

Appearing as guest speaker on Eritrean oppositions Arabic paltalk  chat room on line ,on Saturday, the controversial Eritrean born warlord, Bereket Simon, accused top Tigray born warlords Seye Abraha and the illiterate Gebru Asrat of spear heading the yet to be investigated ethnic cleansing campaign.

“If we don’t like the color of their eyes, we have the right to chase them away”, was Meles Zenawis’ response to the concern of human right organizations during the mass deportation.

“We were wrong to chase away Eritreans” Bereket admits, for the first time contradicting the dead despot “It should not have happened and it will never happen.”

Bereket, the man who single handedly picked the current PM of Ethiopia; Hailemariam Desalegn to succeed his late boss also spoke on the issue of Badime.

“Badime is not our land. It belongs to Eritrea and we don’t have a problem of handing it over to Eritrea. The problem we have is how to go about it” Bereket said, in the process showing contempt to pro Badime Tigre warlords such as Abbay Woldu, General Samora Yenus, Seyoum Mesfin and Berhane Gebrekirstos, who still sees Badime as an integral part of the future Tigray republic.

It is not clear what gave Bereket the Dutch courage to openly defy the feared group of Tigray nationalists with more than one million foot soldiers under their command.