allAfrica.com: Ethiopia: 'After Years of Struggle, Eritreans Have Gained Nothing' (Page 1 of 5)

Dr. Fisseha-Tsion Menghistu, an Eritrean by origin, was formerly a Senior Advisor to the Ministry of Finance and Head of the Legal Department (excise tax) in Ethiopia during the last years of Emperor Haile-Selassie in the early 1970s.

He holds an LL.B degree from the Haile-Selassie I University (AAU), an LL.M from University of Leeds, England, and a Ph.D. from the University of Amsterdam. He also holds several post-graduate diplomas from The Hague Academy of International Law and International Relations, the Institute of Human Rights in Strasbourg, France, and in International Development Studies, University of Oslo, Norway. He also undertook extensive research at the International Bureau of Fiscal Documentation (IBFD) on foreign investment, international business, national and international taxation and technology transfer issues for development for no less than 10 years. After that he became a senior research fellow lecturer at the Department of International Communication, University of Amsterdam. He has also been for some years a guest lecturer at MA Program in International Development lecturing on EU-ACP relations, NEPAD, and the Politics and Political Economy of Oil and Mineral Resources, University of Amsterdam. In addition, he has in the past organized four major international conferences on the Changing Roles of Ambassadors in the 21st Century and in the Era of Globalization in Amsterdam, The Hague and Brussels, where no less than 80 Ambassadors and members of the diplomatic world and professors participated. He has published many articles on many of his core competences and interests related to the above issues. He is now an Executive Consultant with Development Services International (DSI).

Outside his profession, he has been actively and selflessly involved as a human rights and political activist for no les than 30 years in the Eritrean and Ethio-Eritrean politics and in raising and promoting awareness on the need to have peace and reconciliation, freedom, respect for human rights and the rule of law, democracy and development in the Horn of Africa and the rest of Africa in particular and other developing countries in general. Dr. Fisseha-Tsion has been trying to create viable, credible and strong Eritrean opposition parties that can challenge the incumbent Eritrean government. A few months ago, he organized a Second Eritrean International Conference in Amsterdam, trying to reconcile differences vis-à-vis the two groups of Eritrean Democratic Movement (EDM). He founded the Hadish-Tesfa Movement. He talked to Yemane Nagish of The Reporter on the current general situation of Ethio-Eritrean conflict and Eritrean opposition groups.

Could you brief us on your political life?

I have been very active for more than 35 years of my life in trying to build peace, stability and a sense of brotherhood between the peoples of Ethiopia and Eritrea. So, I can say that I have spent half of my life basically trying to build bridges of understanding whereby the two brotherly peoples can live together in peace and prosperity. I'm basically known to have been involved in this issue for more than 35 years of my life.

You were a classmate of Isayas Afewerki at high school. How do you describe the behavior of Isayas during his youth?

My memories in that period were that Isayas was not the sort of trouble-maker as he is now. But, in other aspects, the very people who were my schoolmates actually wanted to become the leaders of two organizations, one headed by Isayas (EPLF) and another one by Mister Seyum Iqubamikeal, who died nearly two years ago. Now he is replaced by Mister Weldetensea Amar (ELF-RC). But I had a different approach.

What makes you different?

Basically, I know my roots, my history. I was not driven by emotion. I know where my family came from. We are deeply Eritrean by origin and, at the same time, having the same family root with the present day people of Tigray and having links with the rest of Ethiopia. This means that when some joined in the sense of liberation, they really honestly felt this. And I must confess that at that moment I always believed that the peoples of Eritrea, particularly the highland Eritreans, are inseparable from the people of Tigray. These people are culturally, economically, historically, politically and/or by any criteria one. Therefore, I felt that creating an artificial border between the two brotherly peoples was unnecessary. If there were problems I felt they could be solved by peaceful means. I didn't say there was a need for bloodshed that had taken a generation. We can't keep on causing blooshed on to Eritreans and Ethiopians. At that moment my line was different. When some joined EPLF and others ELF, I always rightly or wrongly, I must admit, felt that we have a common future. And, therefore, there was no need to join these secessionist political parties. I was more interested in reason. I was more interested in trying to alleviate poverty. We've a common problem: both the peoples of Eritreans and Ethiopians. These are the unacceptable state of abject poverty, under-development and destitution. I want to reverse it. And I really felt that the only way this can be achieved is by bringing our minds together. The bigger we are the better. That was what I felt then. I have a different policy and a different vision that has been the case ever since. Of course, I must also admit that my view was a minority up to 1991, the day of Eritrean independence.

What have Eritreans benefited from independence?

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