The failed State, Overqualified Nation

By Daniel Muzey and Zerisenay Gebremariam

The book depicts the ignominious recent historical facts that manifested to the people of Tigrai, as individuals and groups by allied, conspired, and betrayal. A reader will see the light in the book what it means to aspire to the saying goes back long as "Give a dog a bad name, and kill it." All the names of people, places and events mentioned in this book are real, one by their consent and the other is the culprits. The author himself had to risk his very livelihood and career other than being incarcerated two times. This may be considered a piece by a living witness.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Daniel Muzey
• Release date: Apr 11, 2024
• ISBN: 9798223320562

Book preview

Part I

Why does using systematic sexual violence as a weapon of war in the 21st century tolerated?

In modern history, it's been more than a century since the ratification of blueprints to protect the equality of men and women. However, even during the eras of no legal recognition to protect women's rights, the idea of 'using systematic sexual violence as a weapon of war' was not recorded in Ethiopian history books. As far as we know, it has not been practiced before. This does not necessarily mean that sexual violence is a discovery. It is horrible to think about it, but what happened in Tigray would have happened in other places.

I often just think of those in colonial times. There is no way some rogue Spanish general who just got off an 8-month trip and landed in a new location, there is no way he did not say,  'Ok boys do what you want with this woman, they are ours now '. The idea of sexual violence and abuse against women is inherited from ever since. The world is no stranger to 'sexual violence as one and major aftermath of war' but partly stranger to 'systematic use of sexual violence as a weapon of war'. Such crimes against humanity had been documented in the former Yugoslavia war in 1990-1995. Serbian authorities allegedly ordered their troops to rape Bosniak women and held them in captivity until the eligible period of rape pregnancy with the intent to destroy their cultural ties and inflict extended trauma. The Ethiopian and Eritrean governments rebranded this evil deed to practice it with enormity in Tigray's genocidal war with the intent to exterminate Tigrayans from the face of the earth.

According to UN Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict, Pramila Pattern, 'People forced to rape family members. And "increases in the demand for emergency contraception and testing for sexually transmitted infections"

People from far away may ask what is all evil behind. But, I guarantee this was not a single act but thousands of similar acts have been committed. Everyone can tell, this is a systematic way of dehumanizing a particular society.

In early 2021, the number of rape victims mount to 10,000 and according to British Parliamentarian Helen Hayes. 26,000 women need sexual and gender-based violence services. According to UN Population Fund, several claims have been made implicating both sides of the conflict in the systematic use of rape as a weapon of war against the civilian population.

The data above only covers reachable hospitals in Tigray, exempting Western Tigray as it is still under invasion by joint forces of Eritrea, Ethiopia Amhara forces, where they are committing unimaginable horror to the people. As they say, only the tip of the iceberg. The intention of this book is not to make people in awe of statistics but to give light, recognize agony and be part of possible and lasting solutions.

Picture of Mona Lisa taken from Al Jazeera news.

What is the whole intention of weaponized sexual violence?

It is natural women are the only humans to give birth to create a healthy society. As they would say 'He who educates women, educates society' but in our scenario it turns out to mean 'He who abuses women abuses society'. The whole intention of using sexual violence as means of war by Ethiopian and Eritrean forces was not only to win the war against Tigray forces but to make their genocide plan on the Tigray people a whole package as never before in history.

What's the worst scenario the world can get out of its silence on systematic sexual violence as means of war?

The answer is short and simple, it emboldens perpetrators here and there, expands the evil idea, and customizes it in a more sophisticated magnitude, and therefore it becomes the new normal in the long run.

What's the best scenario to act against systematic sexual violence as means of war?

Still, the answer is short but imperative whereas, there is no other magical answer, unless to fight, eliminate this evil deed and idea, and hold all perpetrators accountable. Thus, it is all the failure of the world not to act timely; we have reached this level of decadence.

According to the New York Times, 'Mona Lisa lay on a hospital bed in Mekelle, the main City in war-torn Northern Ethiopia, her body devastated but her defiance on display. Named for the iconic painting, the 18-year-old Ethiopian high school graduate had survived an attempted rape that left her with seven gunshot wounds and an amputated arm. She wanted it to be known that she had resisted'.

For many of us, behind the unbearable agony of all Tigrayan women victimized by systematic rape, there is Mona Lisa's defiance, shining beyond the iconic painting. There is nothing more iconic and glorious than what Mona Lisa did for her dignity that can represent all Tigrayan women's irrevocable dignity.

On June 2021, when TDF recaptured Mekelle from the hands of allied invading forces, earlier the next month, Mona Lisa addressed a message to all Tigrayan women victimized by systematic rape saying, 'There is nothing to be ashamed or felt helplessness for being gang raped and abused, it is those who did that shall feel ashamed from the very start, for what they did all unimaginable evil deeds to us, displays they did it all because, they cannot achieve their evil plan without playing dirty, but fail to understand we will not be subjugated to any of that, rather than to keep fighting for our dignity and survival, they are a classroom example what to loser means.' Amen to that!

What in the world is 'using hunger as means of war' in our era?

The model of this evil deed is also perpetrated with the intent to perish the entire people of Tigray over the last three years now, by the joint forces of Ethiopia and Eritrea. The siege on Tigray by these multiple forces under the watch of the whole world is probably the longest siege in mankind’s history, causing an unimaginable catastrophe.

Throughout the history of the continent in general, the Horn of Africa in particular, Drought occurs at least every decade. The magnitude of the drought reach famine had /been less likely. Tigray and Northern Ethiopia had experienced common natural and man-made disasters over the last centuries. In the late 1950s, 1960s and the of middle 1980s drought that led to famine and starvation cost millions of lives, and left millions to flee their homes seeking refugees to neighboring countries, such as Sudan, especially, due to the 1984 famine. The UN-led UNICEF, USAID and many international organizations gave their heavy hands to address the famine of 1980’s. Worldwide events of charity and #GoFundMe campaigns took place to overcome its catastrophe, including the memorable 'We are the world' event, aiming to make a meaningful charity to the victims of hunger and starvation in northern Ethiopia in general Tigray in particular. The event caught international philanthropists’ attention such as Bono, Michael Jackson and over 30 other celebrities. They have done remarkable work and it was more or less done for the sake of