The Ethiopian Government Violent Repressions through the Prism of State Terrorism

State terrorism is the intentional use or threat of violence by state agents or their proxies against individuals or group who are victimized for the purpose of intimidating or frightening a broader audience. The direct victims of violence are therefore not main targets, but are instrumental to the primary goal of frightening the watching audience, who are intimidated through the communicative power of violence. The intended effects of violence are achievement of specific political or political-economic goals [Jackson, Murphy and Poynting 2010:3].

The state security apparatus uses many forms of state terrorism against the targeted group of people, which it considers as its own potential opponent to its power. The main forms of state terrorism are disappearances, which are designed to terrorise a targeted group through kidnap of an individuals, illegal detentions, torture and assassinations.

Ethiopia was created by Abyssinian Empire led by King Menelik II at the end of nineteenth century during the scramble for Africa, colonizing its independent neighbouring nations like Oromo, Somali, Sidama, Kaffa and others. Compared with other African Colonizers, the Abyssinian conquest and colonial rule was the worst of all.

The Abyssinians are two nations (Amhara 27% and Tigray 6.1%) of the Ethiopian population. Other colonized peoples (Oromo 35%, Somali 6.2%, Sidama 4%, Gurage 2.5% Walaita 2.3% and other).

Ethiopia starting its creation to May 1991 was ruled by Amhara Emperors (to 1974) and Military Government (1974- 1991) and from 1991 by Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) under the cover of Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF).

We examine the TPLF led government for the last twenty six years through the prism of above mentioned state terrorism form of repressions in Ethiopia and its neighbouring countries particularly in Somalia.