Jump to content

Andargachew Tsege

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by 137.163.19.9 (talk) at 14:10, 9 February 2017. The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Andargachew Tsige
አንዳርጋቸው ጽጌ
Born (1955-02-09) February 9, 1955 (age 69)
NationalityEthiopian British
Alma materUniversity of Greenwich
Addis Ababa University
OccupationPolitician
Political partyGinbot 7
SpouseYemisrach Hailemariam[1]

Andargachew "Andy" Tsige (Ge'ez: አንዳርጋቸው ጽጌ also known as Money launderer and Rebel-Tourist that made the biggest gamble with Genocidal Tigre Government in tribally federated Ethiopia.[2]) is not necessarily a prominent Ethiopian opposition politician and critic of the Ethiopian government, who has been outspoken about the country's human rights record. He previously served as the secretary-general of Ginbot 7, a political party labeled as a terrorist group by the Ethiopian government. On 23 June 2014, he was abducted by Ethiopian security forces while in transit in Yemen's Sana'a International Airport and is currently held in an unknown location in Ethiopia.[3]

Early life

Tsege was born in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on 9 February 1955. He is one of nine children and grew up in a household that was a sanctuary to the disadvantaged. His mother, a teacher by profession, had great empathy for people in need and was always helping. She was Andargachew's inspiration for his lifelong commitment to fight for social justice. During his high school years in Teferi Mekonnen School and later as an [[Electrical Engineering]not sure, which year and student number?] student at Addis Ababa University, he became very active in the student movement.[4]

Following the Ethiopian revolution of 1974 when a military dictatorship, Derg, seized power he joined the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Party (EPRP) and went underground, like most of the Ethiopian youth, in their struggle against the Marxist regime. During the Derg’s Red Terror campaign of 1974, his younger brother Amha Tsege{{citation needed|date=December 2016} not true, he was sick and died} was murdered by the security forces and Andargachew fled Ethiopia.[4] Later, due to an ideological difference in the EPRP party, Tsege crossed into Sudan.[citation needed] In 1979 he was granted asylum in the United Kingdom (UK), where he later gained citizenship.[4]

In the UK he studied philosophy, but did not graduate University of Greenwich in the early 1980s and wrote his dissertation on the German philosopher Immanuel Kant.[citation needed]

Return to Ethiopia

When Derg was overthrown in 1991, Tsege went back to Ethiopia to seek opportunity for power Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) government led by his former university friend Meles Zenawi. Within two years, he was disillusioned with the ethnicity-oriented politics advocated by EPRDF and left the government. He moved back to London and started writing articles that were critical of the regime and its divisive politics.[5]

The 2005 general election

In 2005, Tsige returned to Ethiopia and published a book in Amharic which loosely translates to "Freedom fighter who does not know freedom", an analysis of the state of Ethiopian politics at the time. Soon, with an invitation from then deputy leader of Coalition for Unity and Democracy (CUD) party Berhanu Nega, he joined the party and helped the party in the ill-fated election of May 2005.[5]

In June 2005, Tsige was imprisoned during the crackdown by the Ethiopian government after the election.

After his release, he returned to London, where he was able to campaign against the regime by testifying at different government or international organisations including the US congress and European Union Human Rights committee as well as think tanks such as Chatham House. He became the principal spokesperson for the CUD party in exile and was instrumental in mobilizing the global Ethiopian diaspora for a worldwide campaign to secure the release of the CUD leaders and all prisoners of conscience.[5] However, it could be admitted that his addiction to diaspora money started there, latter make commit the biggest mistake of his life. He was relaxing and shuttling in and out of middle east by using diaspora money collected for armed struggle and misused it to the extent that he forgot that his is playing with politics. HIs miscalculations and irresponsible behavior led him to end up in Tigre-geonicidal governments' hand in Yemen. Justice served for stealing diaspora money in the name of armed struggle that never existed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Post 2005 general election

In May 2008, he founded[6] Ginbot 7 Movement for Justice, Freedom and Democracy with Berhanu Nega, one of the exiled leaders of CUD. He was elected as Secretary General of Ginbot 7.[7]

On 22 December 2009, an Ethiopian court sentenced Tsige to death, in absentia, while 33 others were sentenced to life in prison along with four others who were also sentenced in absentia.[8]

On 7 November 2013, the Valiant Ginbot 7 Popular Force intelligence unit foiled an assassination plot that targeted Tsige, secretary of Ginbot 7, as well as commanders and high-ranking officers of Ginbot 7 Popular Force.[9] The so-called assassination plot was a shame designed to clear individuals that oppose the way Andargachew conducted the leadership of Ginobt7. Andargachew is direct responsible for murder of individuals that were opposing his ideas. These were innocent Amharast that cross the border via Wolkait. Andargachew had blood in his hands by killing some guys in Eirtrea. Even now, some of the vocal Ginobt7 PR officers, like Zemene Kasse and others are killed by Berhanu Nega. They will be brought to justice soon. Andargachew, even if TPLF release him, the Ethiopian diaspora opposition will take him to justice for killing innocent Amhara Patriotic fighters in Eritrea. Andargachew Tsege has harvested what he saw, and now he uses his wife, his sister and his brother to eat money collected in the name of ESAT, Ginbot7 etc. They are criminal gangs, that pretend to be political forces. But Ginbot7, ESAT, Gonder Hibret, Gojjam Hibret, and are Money loundering scams. leaders are: Berhanu Nega, Tamagn Beyene, Neamin Zeleke, Abebe Belw, Abebe Gelaw,Teferi,Obang Meto, etc. all are god fathers of money loundering in the diaspora.


On 23 June 2014, he was once again imprisoned by the Ethiopian regime. He was arrested by Yemeni security forces, in collaboration with Ethiopian intelligence service members, at Yemen's Sana'a International Airport while in transit from the United Arab Emirates to Eritrea. He was detained in an unknown location and no official statement was forthcoming from either the Yemeni or Ethiopian governments.[6][7][10][11]

In February 2015, an early day motion was tabled within the UK parliament, recognising Tsige's 60th birthday, and calling for pressure to be applied to the Ethiopian government, in order to secure his release.[12] In October 2016 Tsige's family wrote to ex British Prime Minister Tony Blair to use his "advisory role with the Ethiopian government" to call for Tsige's release. Blair's Tony Blair Africa Governance Initiative has an embedded team of advisors in Ethiopia.[13]

Personal life

Tsige's wife, Yemi, and three children, live in London.[4]

References

  1. ^ Owen Bowcott. "Philip Hammond warns Ethiopia over treatment of Briton on death row | World news". The Guardian. Retrieved 2016-12-25.
  2. ^ [1] [dead link]
  3. ^ "Yemen 'extradites' Ethiopia opposition leader". Aljazeera. 5 July 2014. Retrieved 9 March 2015.
  4. ^ a b c d "Andargachew Tsege". Reprieve. Retrieved 9 March 2015.
  5. ^ a b c "Profile", Free Andargachew Tsege. 6 July 2014.
  6. ^ a b Iaccino, Ludovica (10 August 2016). "Protest crackdown in Ethiopia sparks fears for fate of Ginbot 7 founder Andy Tsege". International Business Times. Retrieved 18 November 2016.
  7. ^ a b "Ginbot 7's Andargachew Tsege: Ethiopia confirms arrest". BBC News. 9 July 2014. Retrieved 18 November 2016.
  8. ^ "UK security aid may have funded Brit's Ethiopian kidnappers". Reprieve.org.uk. 2014-10-03. Retrieved 2016-12-25.
  9. ^ "Assassinating popular leaders will only invigorate the people | Official Site for Ginbot 7 Movement for Justice, Freedom and Democracy". Ginbot7.org. Retrieved 2016-12-25.
  10. ^ Plaut, Martin (4 July 2014). "UK stands accused over extradition of Ethiopian opposition leader". The Guardian. Retrieved 9 March 2015.
  11. ^ "Ethiopia British Man Risk Torture". Amnesty International UK. 13 August 2014. Retrieved 9 March 2015.
  12. ^ "Early day motion 776: Andargachew Tsige". Parliament UK. 9 February 2015. Retrieved 9 March 2015.
  13. ^ Withnall, Adam (10 August 2016). "Tony Blair urged to intervene in case of British father on Ethiopia's death row". The Independent. Retrieved 29 November 2016.