Birhanu M Lenjiso (PhD)
@BMLenjiso • 51,385 subscribers
AUTHOR | ብሔር-ተኝነት | SAB-BOONUMMAA | https://t.co/lvm0vu5ajj | Personal Account | Personal Opinion
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The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) is a non-consumptive water projects, that generates electricity by passing water through turbines, allowing most of it to continue downstream. Unlike consumptive uses such as irrigation that divert and deplete water, GERD doesn’t block Nile from flowing to downstream countries.
Birhanu M Lenjiso (PhD)46,595 views • 4 months ago
My Somali Brothers & Sisters, It’s very good for Somalia, its people & the region if you could peacefully & quickly finish the Somalia-Somaliland issue from its root. This is too old a problem not to bear consequences and dealing only with its consequences will bring more embarrassment to your people, country and the region. The neighboring countries, of course, have an obligation to support you on this matter, not to make fun of it & bragging. Showcasing the country as a failed state & humiliating its leaders on livestream TV show isn’t by any standard a good sign for the sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity of that country.
Birhanu M Lenjiso (PhD)170,777 views • 2 years ago
Ethiopia was never.colonized but its people are divided by the colonial borders like any other African countries. The Boranas are divided between Ethiopia 🇪🇹 and Kenya 🇰🇪, the Afar are divided between Ethiopia 🇪🇹 , Djibouti 🇩🇯 and Eritrea 🇪🇷 etc. In this video, Julius Kambarage Nyerere spoke about the stupid colonial borders that they agreed to respect but how they failed to respect the people splits with those borders without their interest.
Birhanu M Lenjiso (PhD)58,734 views • 1 year ago
Ethiopia’s landlocked status is a wound that cuts deep, a bitter legacy of historical injustices that stripped a proud nation of its coastal heritage. It’s not a punchline, it’s a tragedy born of geopolitical betrayal, leaving a sovereign people severed from the seas that once connected them to the world. Ethiopia has no option but navigate and Inshallah, overcome these geopolitical betrayal with dignity.
Birhanu M Lenjiso (PhD)43,831 views • 1 year ago
I often see Eritreans debating about “Who Rules the Red Sea”. The debate over who "rules" the Red Sea, I believe misses multiple points. In short: no one does, the waves do. The Red Sea as a high-sea is a shared commons, not a sovereign domain. A better question may be is: “Who uses it?” Under international maritime law, every nation has the right to navigate and utilize it freely. For Ethiopia, the pursuit of reliable Red Sea access is rooted in history and justice. Once a littoral state with direct coastline, Ethiopia lost that access through unfair circumstances. Yes, restoring sustainable and equitable access is not ambition, it's a legitimate national imperative for Ethiopia. #Ethiopia #Eritrea #RedSea #HornOfAfrica
Birhanu M Lenjiso (PhD)26,956 views • 6 months ago
The deal between Ethiopia & Somaliland is a wonderful win-win deal that recognizes the reality on the ground in the horn of Africa, not notional theories said the US Special Envoy for the Sahel Region Dr. J. Peter Pham. በኢትዮጵያ እና በሶማሌላንድ መካከል የተደረገው ስምምነት በአፍሪካ ቀንድ መሬት ላይ ያለውን እውነታ የተገነዘበ አስደናቂ ስምምነተ ነው አሉ የአሜሪካ የሳህል ክልል ልዩ መልዕክተኛ ዶ/ር ጄይ ፒተር ፋም።
Birhanu M Lenjiso (PhD)67,320 views • 2 years ago
TPLF used Flawed Historical Justification for Ceding the entire Red Sea Coast to Eritrea The TPLF relied on a selective and oversimplified interpretation of history in recognizing Eritrea's independence and ceding the entire Red sea shore in 1993. They treated Eritrea as a distinct colonial entity entitled to the full territorial extent of the former Italian colony, including the entire Red Sea coastline, against the 1950 UN resolution. This resulted in Ethiopia becoming landlocked, a strategic and economic disadvantage that contradicted deeper historical, cultural, and international legal precedents. A key element of this justification appears to stem from claims emphasizing Eritrea's origins as an Italian colonial creation. In the attached interview the late Foreign Minister Seyoum Mesfin suggested Eritrea emerged as a distinct entity around the late 19th century, when Italy occupied Eritrea, endorsed through Wuchale treaty. While it is true that "Eritrea" was an artificial construct imposed by colonial powers, the people share deep historical ties with the Ethiopian interior (language, culture, religion, and historical governance). Recognizing this ties, the United Nations deliberated Eritrea's future as a former Italian colony and rather than granting outright independence or partitioning the territory, the General Assembly adopted Resolution 390 (V) on December 2, 1950, following Italy's defeat in World War II. This resolution explicitly federated Eritrea with Ethiopia as an autonomous unit under Ethiopian sovereignty, effective September 1952. The federation was grounded in several key considerations that superseded pure colonial boundaries: The resolution recognized longstanding ethnic, linguistic, and historical connections between Eritrean and Ethiopian peoples. Eritrea's viability was linked to Ethiopia, including shared trade routes and Ethiopia's need for sea access. As the victor over Italian colonial aggression, Ethiopia had strong historical and strategic interests in the Red Sea coast. Unlike many African decolonization cases, the UN did not treat Eritrea as entitled to automatic separation based solely on Italian borders. The federation effectively reintegrated it, overriding the colonial division while balancing self-determination with regional realities. The federation's dissolution by Emperor Haile Selassie in 1962 was indeed a violation of the UN arrangement too. However, when de facto independence was achieved in 1991 and formalized via referendum in 1993, the TPLF-led Ethiopian government accepted the full colonial-era boundaries without contesting their applicability. This included Assab, a port acquired separately by Italy from the Afar Sultanates and historically peripheral to the Eritrean highlands, despite weaker ethnic or historical ties to the core Eritrean identity. By endorsing this framework, rooted in the principle of ‘uti possidetis juris’ as upheld by the Organization of African Unity, the TPLF-led government either misunderstood or deliberately overlooked the unique status of the 1952 UN federation. That resolution had already "corrected" the colonial imposition by prioritizing historical unity and Ethiopia's maritime interests. Accepting the colonial borders wholesale permanently closed Ethiopia's direct access to the Red Sea, transforming a historically maritime power into a landlocked state. Whether this stemmed from political expediency, given that TPLF is in strong alliance with the Eritrean People's Liberation Front during the struggle against the Derg or incomplete grasp of the nuanced international precedents, the outcome disregarded Ethiopia's long-term national interests and the balanced approach embodied in UN Resolution 390 (V), and it is clearly reflected in this interview.
Birhanu M Lenjiso (PhD)13,405 views • 3 months ago
We need to get this straight. The contract of Assab was a contract for the sale of lands in the area known as Asab to Mr Joseph Sapeto of the Rubattino, Italian Shipping Company on November 15, 1869. The sellers were the Sultan brothers in the area, Hassan-ben-Ahmad and Ibrahim-ben-Ahmad. This was pretty much a transition time, Emperor Tewodros was dead in 1868 and Emperor Yohannis IV come to power. Emperor Menelik II was crowned on November 3, 1889, 20 years after the contract was signed, so I don’t think the statement “the land was sold without the knowledge of Emperor Menelik II” is accurate, at least chronologically. #followers
Birhanu M Lenjiso (PhD)24,224 views • 1 year ago
Ethiopia’s Foreign Minister rejects allegations from Somalia’s authorities & warns attempts of recent maneuvers by external actors at the UNGA. Amb. Taye Atske Selassie stated Somalia’s allegations is unfounded, and an attempt to cover up internal political tensions. The MoU with Somaliland is based on existing political arrangement and aims for shared growth and prosperity in the region. Amb. Taye also warned external actors to refrain from their reckless actions in the region.
Birhanu M Lenjiso (PhD)23,402 views • 1 year ago
War between Ethiopia 🇪🇹 & Eritrea 🇪🇷 isn’t on the horizon. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali 🇪🇹 has explicitly stated that Ethiopia has no intention of pursuing war with Eritrea or any other neighboring countries, particularly over the issue of Red Sea access. While Ethiopia views access to the sea as a critical national interest, it prefers a peaceful diplomatic approach over confrontation. As siblings who are scarred by conflict, disagreements are inevitable between Ethiopia & Eritrea but resolving disagreements in a civil and peaceful manner benefit the families straddling the border.
Birhanu M Lenjiso (PhD)18,350 views • 1 year ago
“I am not going to sleep, unless I build Urea” - Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali 🇪🇹
Birhanu M Lenjiso (PhD)13,420 views • 9 months ago
Few diplomats grasp Ethiopia & the Horn like Tibor Nagy (Tibor Nagy); meticulous, deep, and always optimistic. As ex-US Amb to Ethiopia & Assistant Secretary of State for Africa, his insights cut through the noise. Nagy also openly shares his bond with Ethiopia & its issues. "Ethiopia stole my heart," he says. That connection fuels his bold takes on the nation's biggest challenge: access to the sea, that he frames as "existential", (like leaders and people of Ethiopia) and believe it is solvable. He is not just analyzing, he's actually rooting for Ethiopia's rise. Thank You Sir!
Birhanu M Lenjiso (PhD)11,226 views • 7 months ago
Tibor Nagy (Tibor Nagy), a former U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, and U.S. Ambassador to, and a true friend of Ethiopia, speaks about the NILE & the GERD. He said, historically Egypt who doesn’t put a single drop of water into the Nile has all the cards on the use of Nile water while Ethiopia who contributes 85% of the Nile water is completely excluded from using the Nile Water. The Colonial treaties on Nile (that Egypt referees to as water norms) is the dictionary example of unfairness. #GERD #ItsMyDam #AfricaRising
Birhanu M Lenjiso (PhD)11,804 views • 8 months ago
The Speech that remains both historic & prophetic, In 1991, Goshu Wolde, Ex-Foreign Minister under Mengistu’s regime made a speech to the US Senate Committee for Foreign Affairs - a speech widely regarded as a powerful and historic articulation of Ethiopia’s political challenges and aspirations. His speech emphasized the need for a broad-based transitional government that adequately represents Ethiopia’s diverse ethnic groups to ensure lasting peace. His articulation was described as fierce, convincing, and melancholic, using feisty gesticulation to mesmerize and persuade the stunned audience. The Colonel also argued against Eritrean referendum citing legitimacy issues related to the consent and knowledge of both Ethiopian and Eritrean people. He cautioned that decisions driven by external powers or narrow interests, such as the US-sponsored committees, could lead to Ethiopia’s dismemberment—a plea that, despite its eloquence, reportedly fell on deaf ears. Goshu also prophetically warned against Eritrea’s potential slide into totalitarian dictatorship. The speech anyways cemented his legacy as a passionate and patriotic figure, embodying moral integrity and the audacity of Ethiopian hopes for democratic solutions.
Birhanu M Lenjiso (PhD)14,975 views • 1 year ago
“እኔ ዕድሜ ልኬን ለኢትዮጰያና ለዓፋር ሕዝብ አንድነት ስታገል የኖርኩ ሰው ነኝ። ዛሬ ኤርትራ ከኢትዮጵያ ትገንጠል የሚል ሀሳብ ለውሳኔ ሲቀርብ ያመኛል። ኤርትራ ትገንጠል ብሎ እዚህ የተሰየመው ሸንጎ በአንድ ድምጽ ቢስማማ እንኳ እኔና ድርጅቴ አንስማማም። ምክንያቱም የኤርትራ መገንጠል ሀገራችንን ያለ ባህር በር ከማስቀረት አልፎ የዓፋር ሕዝብን አንድነት ስለሚያናጋ ነው። ዓፋሮች እንደ እጅ ጣቶች አንድ ላይ የሚያምሩ ህዝቦች ናቸውና መነጣጠላቸውን አልደግፍም።” - የዓፋር ፖለቲካዊና መንፈሳዊ መሪ ሡልጣን አሊሚራህ ሀንፍሬ ዓፋሮች “ቀይባህርና አዋሽ ወንዝ የሁሉም ዓፋር የጋራ ሀብት ነው” የሚል ዘመን ተሻጋሪ አባባል አላቸው። ከቅርብ ጊዜ ወዲህም ኢትዮጵያ በሠላም ከጎረቤቶቹዋ ጋር በመነጋገር የወደብ ተጠቃሚ መሆን ትፈልጋለች የሚለው ሀሳብ ሲነሳም የቀይባህር ዳርቻ ዓፋሮች ሃሳቡን በደስታ እንደተቀበሉ ይታወቃል። ዓፋሮች “ኢትዮጵያ የማትጠቀምበት ቀይባህር በአፈር የተሸፈነ ወርቅ ነው” የሚል አባባልም አላቸው። (ብሔር-ተኝነት ገፅ 247)
Birhanu M Lenjiso (PhD)12,974 views • 11 months ago
Ejigayehu Shibabaw, aka GiGi, is an iconic Ethiopian singer celebrated for her fusion of traditional Ethiopian music with global genres. GiGi rose to international fame with her 2001 self-titled album which blended Ethiopian melodies with contemporary sounds, earning critical acclaim. Her decision to step away from music for a period has been noted by fans and observers, with speculation about personal or health-related reasons, though no definitive public statement clarifies the exact cause. Her sister Frealem Shibabaw wrote the attached touchy poem about GiGi and heard their mom narrated it as follows - speaking to a poignant family connection. —— ሀገር ደብቀሻል ወደ አንቺ ምመጣው ሀገሬ ናፍቃኝ ነው አንቺን ያስቸገርኩሽ ሀገሬ ጠፍታኝ ነው አንቺ ምትናፍቂኝ ሀገር ተርቤ ነው... ፍቅር ተርቤ ነው... ሰው ማዬት ናፍቆኝ ነው... ሀገር የገባው.. ሰው ሀገር የገባው ሰው የናፈቀኝ ለታ ወደ አንቺ እመጣለሁ ሀገሬን ስፈልግ አንቺን አስባለሁ አዬሽ..እምዬዋ... እኔ በዚህ ጉዳይ እቸገራለሁኝ እቸገራለሁኝ ሀገር እየጠፋኝ እጅግ ተቸገርኩኝ ትርጉሙ እየጠፋኝ ሰው መሆን ክቡር ነው ያለችው ሀገሬ አድዋ ላይ ወጥታ እንድታውጅ ዛሬ ወደ አንቺ እመጣለሁ.. ሀገሬን ስናፍቅ አንቺን አስባለሁ እንድታስታውሺኝ ወርቃማዋን ሀገር እንድታስታውሺኝ የደጎቹን መንደር ሀገሬን ስናፍቅ ወደ አንቺ መጣሁኝ አሁንም ድጋሚ እንደገና አስታውሺኝ አንቺ ባትይንም ይታወቅብሻል ወጣ በይ እንይሽ ሀገር ደብቀሻል ሐምሌ 11, 2017 ለእጅጋዬሁ ሺባባው የተፃፈ አክባሪያችሁ ፍሬዓለም ሺባባው
Birhanu M Lenjiso (PhD)12,246 views • 10 months ago