“Operation Yikirta” is not exclusive to Ethiopia and Eritreans nor a one way yikirta to Eritreans. This is supposed to be done by all parties within Ethiopia along different ethnic and religious line and Eritrea. For “Operation Yikirta” to work, it must be a two way yikirta.

Saying yirkta to one another is not some sort of admittance of guilt or sign of weakness and defeat by those asking for the yikirta nor a sign of innocence, strength and power by those being asked for the yikirta.

If we want positive change to ever happen in our respective countries, all we have left to do which we have never done before is ask each other for genuine forgiveness and forgive one another honestly. But in order to do that, we all must first need to STOP generalizing, grouping, characterizing and labeling people according to our opinion and bias. Until we have spoken to all the Ethiopians (Amharas, Tigrais, Oromos, Gambellas, Aderes, Gurages and the rest of Ethiopians) and all the Eritreans, NONE of us can speak for or against an entire community as to what they feel, think, believe etc. None of us except for God are nor will ever be an expert of anyone else but ourselves and at times even that is questionable.

So for the whole idea of forgiveness, apology, understanding and collaboration – “Operation Yikirta” that I wrote about to work, we need on all sides to really let go of our egotistical need be the ones who are “right” and “innocent”. In the end, what happened, happened and cannot be changed or taken back by any of us and as I stated in my article, none of us are innocent and none of us are the sole victimizer and lone perpetrator, so enough with the hate, prejudice and score keeping of who was/is wrong and who was/is right, time to move on and start a new beginning. Instead of aiming and claiming of our willingness to die so our side can win, let us all start to aim to live so we ALL can win. Let’s all aim to spread the message of love and forgiveness instead of hate, ignorance, bitterness and vendetta which contributes to more killing and destruction. May the strong who have heart stand up and take my message of Yikirta and Forgiveness and apply it in their daily life. Amen!!!!

I will forgive your innocense and lack of understanding Ethiopian history, however, I will never forgive Eritreans in thousands of years. I am also an Amhara but not the criminal and an oppressor that you are told to believe. Amharas are victims but not vitimizers. I urge your parents to read you about the treachery of Eritreans so that you do not join those who blame Amharas for everything bad that happened to Ethiopia. People who are not English don;t feel oppressed by the English language. Why should you believe that those who are not Amharas are oppressed because the Amharic language. No one, I repeat no one ethnic group was forced to accept the Amhara culture and denied to develop his/her culture. What you have been fed and made to believe is the wrong history of Amharas.

Let Eritreans stew in their own grease. What you should be concerned is your motherland Ethiopia but not the people who chose their slave name, “Eritreans.” There was no Eritrean nation until the Italians came to inslave them during the scramble for Africa. Moreover, no Ethiopian should forget the treachery of Eritreans during the Italian occupation of Ethiopia.

You should not apologize or ask forgiveness. Eritreans and all those who hate Ethiopia should do that.

Girma

Interesting article, very eloquently put. It is high time for Ethiopians and Eritreans to put their differences behind (it’s been 19 years since they’ve had their independence now). After having lived in the US for a while, I am now somewhere in Africa where — surprise surprise– Ethiopians and Eritreans mingle very well together. And for the first time in my life, I am hearing their side of the story, I mean, like you mentioned we never really got to hear their side as we were ‘fighting’ and how dare they say they are not Ethiopian!! But now that I am hearing them, I feel sad, their country is now a PRISON, where there is no prospect for the young, you’d be surprised how many Eritrean refugees there are in the Tigray region and if caught they will be executed. So many stories, they feel betrayed by Issayas. We can say ‘it serves them right’ , especially those who were in Ethiopia and sending money to the other side; but on the other hand, they were all brainwashed like we also were for that matter.

With regards to the other ethnic groups, there should be the biggest yikirta. It is really shameful the ideology of ‘Amarazation’. But we should move on, our country is the poorest of the poor and it needs all resources (human and physical) to be self sustaining even with regards to food security. I am not even comparing with the US, I am comparing with other African countries, we are very much behind in terms of food security, banking, IT, infrastructure, you name it so please let us live with one another peacefully and harness our comparative advantage as a diverse, multiethnic, proud, hard working, and beautiful country.

The Eritreans that were betraying all of us, you included, were doing so since the beginning of their movement under Osman Salah Sabbe. Here is a litmnus test. Ask your friends how they feel about the Akele Guzai, the Kunama, The Afar, Bilen, Rashaida. I know the answers they will insist these groups exist within an Eritrean polity. Heck most won’t even acknowledge these groups even exist.

No Meles did not divide your country. Eritreans did. All 3 mill of them when they sent their money and told their children lies to infect them with the disease of an Eritrea that(according to them) existed 10,000 years ago. Its not even good enough to be funny. The funny part is that the Eritrea of 10,000 years ago resembles remarkably the Eritrea the Italians created in the 1800’s after the British tricked Yohannes IV by replacing departing British and Egyptians with Italians in Massawa. So blame Eritreans, not Meles and not even Mengistu.

What freaked me out in Afewerki’s interview was not his obvious madness but the Eritrean response attacking the Al Jazeera reporter instead of apologizing for their crazy President. This is what goes for Eritrean logic. I have not personally lost anyone close in their war of independence. But your loving across the divide is a slap and spiut in the face of anyone who gave up their lives to keep this madman from doing what he is doing to Eritreans. And after Ethiopians sacrificed a lot of resources they all voted to become his harem.

Please spare the rest of Ethiopia.Making a place for them under our tent has proven time and again dangerous so if you want to play with them, I suggest you spare the rest of us and go play outside so all you risk is you and not everyone else. In other words don’t extend my hand in friendship for me. I don’t need your help in that regard. They are no friendlier, no worse to me than any other African country, and actually as a nation that has attacked Ethiopia they should not be extended even that level of civility. Though they should have been dealt with severely according to the rule of war they were very magnanimously left alone. From now on they should be dealt with according to what they bring, hostility answered with hostility. And definitely as long as Issayas is alive they should all go live with him and leave the rest of us alone. Again, if your heart genuinely feels for them, I think you should enjoy their hospitality but leave the rest of Ethiopians(unless they feel like you, which I doubt) alone.