By Saleh “Gadi” Johar

Copyright awate

Blame It on Moses

A young student and her classmate graduated together; she became a geography teacher, while her bright classmate was quickly absorbed into Abiy Ahmed’s party and appointed PR director of the Ethiopian Air Force. Today, he is hailed as an inspirational figure in that institution. By all accounts, he is doing a marvelous job.

Recently, however, he released a flashy agitational clip that has rattled Eritrean nerves. The video showed squadrons of intimidating fighter planes cutting through the skies, accompanied by a booming voiceover: “We are flying over Eritrean airspace, and we control it fully. Now the war will start. The Red Sea is ours, and we will retake it…”

The thunder of the warplanes was frightening enough, but the voiceover was even more terrifying for Eritreans. It stirred bitter memories of occupation, of years when Ethiopian aircraft indiscriminately bombed Eritrean towns and villages, destroying lives, livestock, and livelihoods. Massawa, Tessenei, and other towns were mercilessly bombed from the skies after Eritreans liberated them.

During Haile Selassie’s reign, followed by Derg, the war toys were always buzzing above, dropping bombs on innocent people. Some days it felt like there was no respite at all—no dawn, no dusk—without destruction raining from the sky.

Blame It on Moses

Speaking of Moses—yes, the biblical one—maybe he is to blame for all this chaos. If he had just kept his staff to himself, there would be no Red Sea to fight over. If Moses hadn’t parted the land, perhaps none of this torment would exist. Blame it on Moses; thanks a lot, Prophet.

If you ever want to see the consequences of his miracles, just scroll through the social media venues. It may feel exaggerated, but the anxiety fueled by today’s propaganda wars for the Red Sea is just as real. It’s the new battlefield. Government-backed digital armies spread fear and confusion daily, posting war games that play out like blockbusters. In recent months, I’ve watched too many clips filled with bravado, childish threats, and—on rare occasions—a flash of wisdom.

Clip 1: Meles Zenawi’s Sobriety vs. Abiy’s Recklessness

The late Meles Zenawi—whether one loved or despised him—carried himself like a statesman, especially when compared to Abiy Ahmed. In one speech, Meles confronted Ethiopians obsessed with the Red Sea, reminding them of reality.

Ethiopia, he explained, could not invade another sovereign nation. It was bound by Menelik’s treaty with the colonial rulers of Eritrea, and every Ethiopian government had a duty to honor international agreements. As a founding member of the African Union, Ethiopia had no choice but to respect its charter.

That was common sense. Yet common sense seems alien to Abiy Ahmed.

Clip 2: The Soldier and the Red Sea

In a trivia program, a soldier was asked: “What is the name of the body of water that makes up the Ethiopian-Eritrean border?”

Without hesitation, he answered: “The Red Sea!”

The tragedy is not only that he was wrong, but that he is likely to die fighting for a sea he cannot even identify. The main boundary between the two nations is the Tekeze River. Any student with a political map could point that out. But Abiy’s propaganda has been so relentless that people now confuse rivers, seas, skies, and even entire geographies. Indoctrination has replaced education, and mob-style curricula produce ignorance instead of knowledge.

Clip 3: Debreberhan by the Sea

A street interviewer asked a woman where the Red Sea was located. Without much hesitation, she replied: “In the Amhara Kilil!” She quickly corrected herself and added: “Near Debreberhan.”

Debreberhan lies deep in the Ethiopian highlands, nowhere near the coast. The incident illustrates how badly Ethiopia’s educational system has deteriorated under politicized indoctrination. Knowledge has been replaced with slogans, leaving the people vulnerable to manipulation.

Clip 4: The Ex-Derg Ambassador

Amid the noise, a few sane voices occasionally surface. An ex-Derg ambassador attempted to soothe the public, offering measured words against the tide of fanaticism. But he is a rare exception. Many of his former colleagues eagerly joined Abiy’s party, importing with them the jingoism and violence of their past. They are the architects of today’s dangerous rhetoric.

Clip 5: Abiy’s Watch and My Envy

One of the strangest clips I watched featured Abiy Ahmed himself. He admitted stealing a classmate’s watch out of jealousy. That story sparked a mischievous thought in me. No, I won’t steal a watch—but what if Eritreans could steal the Renaissance Dam, brick by brick? Or perhaps Lake Tana?

I haven’t worn a watch in over two decades, and in an age of cellphones, who really needs one? Still, envy creeps in when I see Ethiopia’s giant projects. As an Eritrean, I confess to a twinge of jealousy. But here’s the truth: I wish for prosperity across the region. If all neighbors are thriving, envy dissolves into mutual benefit. Peace becomes possible when arrogance is replaced by shared growth.

Abiy’s Cringe Diplomacy

When Abiy first visited Eritrea in 2018, he surprised many by serving coffee to Isaias Afwerki in his own house. Some called it humility; others saw it as foolishness dressed up as modesty. His habit of massaging Kenya’s president or toying with South Sudanese leaders’ beards in public has embarrassed even his Ethiopian supporters. Diplomacy is not playacting—it requires maturity, respect, and stability.

Clip 6: Abiy and Nuclear Dreams

At the inauguration of the GERD, the Italian contractor WeBuild casually remarked that the dam’s output equaled several nuclear plants. Abiy ran with it. Within days, he was announcing a $30 billion plan to build a nuclear plant “for peaceful purposes.”

But peace is the one thing Ethiopia and region has not learned. Nuclear dreams without stability are dangerous illusions. Other nations have pursued “peaceful nuclear” ambitions, only to slide into suspicion, sanctions, and endless conflict. The Middle East is littered with such examples. Ethiopia should learn from them, not repeat them.

Clip 7: The Barya-Isaias Phenomenon

Eritrea, too, suffers its own embarrassments. Some citizens equate patriotism with worshipping one man—Isaias Afwerki. This mirrors the Horn of Africa’s broader dysfunction, where leaders conflate personal power with national identity.

Abiy’s diplomacy is equally absurd: he threatens to invade and occupy neighbors but then insists he will do it “peacefully.” He ends with a kitten’s meow, as if softening his aggression with a purr. But behind the meow lies the growl of militarism.

2018–2025: Region Stuck at Crossroads

The Horn of Africa remains bound by shared history and character. Eritreans are inseparable from the region’s fate. But the world is changing rapidly, and the stakes are higher than ever. The people must resist the cycle of violence.

Supporting violence for its own sake is not normal. When people are forced into self-defense for a just cause, their struggle is noble. But when opportunists hijack victories and perpetuate conflict, the violence becomes just another endless chain.

It is time to shun violence. To reject it forcefully. To nurture genuine peace. Life is too short to spend mourning the dead while new generations are recruited into war.

The future of the region lies not in fighter planes, propaganda clips, or nuclear fantasies—but in the collective will to end arrogance, reject fanaticism, and insist on peace.

Abiy AhmederitreaEthiopiaGERDHorn of Africamilitarismnuclear powerpeacebuildingPropagandaRed Searegional politics