By Astway Yared

This paper presents the perspectives of residents of Addis Ababa. The paper was organized after conducting an informal interview with four women, and group of youth on the current new forms of women and youth organizing effort introduced by the current administration. They were asked to express their general view on the situation, as Ethiopia is approaching to conduct an election in May 2010.

�If I have a choice, I would rather decide to stay away from the Women League. Unfortunately, I have no alternatives. I need to get �food� to feed my children�. Asnakech, an Ethiopian woman who was told she must join the Women League in order to receive wheat made this statement.

�We do not have freedom. If we are not with EPRDF, we are repeatedly told to put our heads down. The choice is either to repress our views or stay out of politics. You know, if we say some thing, we know what will happen �.prison�. Mikiyas, a young energetic person who is threatened not to express his political views freely.

A few months ago, I had the opportunity to talk to several youth and women about their situations in the capital city of Ethiopia, Addis Ababa. Many people from different lifestyles are complaining about several things. Living cost is sky rocketing. Basic services are scarce. The spirit of fear exists everywhere. Some people who used to advocate for change in the country openly are afraid of putting their families at risk. As one woman portrayed, �Ethiopians are expected to behave and act in accordance with what the TPLF/EPRDF prescribes. Otherwise, they will be considered as an enemy of the REVOLUTION. It is not only individuals who can be considered as an enemy. Their families are also in danger.

Given the existing circumstances in Ethiopia, citizens are left with no alternatives. Any form of resistance will jeopardize their wellbeing. The undercover agents �nechlebashoch� are almost equal to the size of the population. One young energetic girl told me �if you are person who is well known by the public and are considered as a threat to the regime, you will be imprisoned. If you are not a known person, they will exterminate you. I have three friends who were picked up by government agents. I tried to locate where they are and could not get a clue. That bothers me a lot�who knows...we do not know how many people have been killed�.�

According to residents of Addis Ababa, the regime has put in place multiple controlling mechanisms, which are designed to control the daily activities of citizens. Currently, the regime has established new structures called Urban citizens� league (�Yeketema Newariwoch League�), �Women League�, �Youth League�, and �Youth Forums�. League and forums are a newly introduced organizing techniques intended to control citizens. One woman said �if citizens decide to abandon these League and Forum meetings, they will be under the threat of receiving no social services from their Kebele, including wheat�.

In these newly introduced control structures, youth and women are the prime targets. According to my informal informants, the reasons for putting a high level of pressure on youth and women are obvious. First, most youth are active supporters of opposition groups. Most youth make jokes about the TPLF/EPRDF�s ethnocentric political ideologies. One young man from a minority group said: �who told them that we will disappear if they do not protect us? ...are we a species that is near to disappearance? They are using ethnicity to elongate their span of rule�we all should talk about it�.we should not allow them to use ethnicity to maintain their status quo. For me, Ethiopians have a long sustained mechanism of living together. We embrace our differences �we should tell them loudly that that is not our agenda�.� Despite the level of harassment by the TPLF/EPRDF, youth are immensely engaged in pro-human rights and freedom related thoughts. Youth constitute a major proportion of the Ethiopian population. Available data suggest that children and youth constitute more than 40% of the total population of the country. In addition, youth, who are the future of the country, are really aspiring for significant change. According to two young boys, the TPLF/EPRDF cadres often tell young people either to be with the TPLF/EPRDF or to put their heads down.

Women also are targeted and are often told to join the so-called Women Leagues. In Ethiopia, the socially constructed role for women revolves around socializing the new generation and ensuring the wellbeing of the family. This socially constructed gender role of women enhances their vulnerability to the TPLF/EPRDF oppressive system. As a mother or sister, they are expected to be worry about availability of food. Some women clearly told me that, if they do not participate in the Women League, they would not receive any food aid that is being distributed at Kebele level.

Currently, political affiliation is highly associated with the right to access basic survival goods and services. The TPLF/EPRDF regime is not treating Ethiopians as human beings. Under normal circumstances, countries are expected to treat their citizens on an equal basis irrespective of their political association or ideological orientation. However, the TPLF dominated EPRDF administration uses provision of services, such as food as a weapon.

Maintaining their status quo is the prime concern of the TPLF/EPRDF administration. They are not interested in ensuring the wellbeing of Ethiopians socially, economically, and politically. Their cadres are working day and night to treat Ethiopians heartlessly. Using food aid as a weapon to enslave Ethiopians is a crime against humanity. This is a clear human rights violation (one of the rights in the 1948, Universal Human Rights Declaration is �the right to live�). People should have food at least to exist. Unfortunately, Ethiopians are held in captivity due to their lack of opportunity to escape out of deeply rooted poverty.