The video with Abune Mathias’s passionate appeal, which has been widely shared and viewed, was smuggled out of Ethiopia. It was taken to the outside world by Denis Wadely of Bridges of Hope.
You can hear how this was done on a BBC radio recording here. Listen about about 15 minutes in.
Denis Wadely - a pastor with the organisation and a friend of Abune Mathias explains how it was brought out.
Wadely says he had been working in Tigray for the last 11 years and went to see his friends - bringing in some supplies. He and his wife witnessed the trauma of the people and the rape.
He was invited to meet the Abune before he left and when they met on 26 April Wadely explained that people were desperate to hear the Abune’s voice.
Abune Mathias explained he was being held hostage; that he was in unofficial house arrest, with every word monitored and unable to travel.
The Abune said that he had tried three times to get stories out to the press. He had given a 40 minute interview with an Ethiopian television station but he was told that if it was broadcast he, and those around him, would have their lives at risk.
Abune Mathias said he was not afraid for himself, but worried by those who were with him - including Bishops. Some of his close associates had been arrested.
Wadely offered to record an interview - which Abune Mathias accepted. He spoke from the heart and that was what was released to the world.
Sounds like a Bullshit story made up to save face and keep power/reputation.
Obviously, if Abiy (et. al.) were threatening to kill Mathias’ family during the early/mid days of the war, Abiy would be 10 times more likely kill his family now that elections are DOA (coup coming?) and Abiy is currently assassinating all kinds of decenters, incl. the Amahara police chief, Oromos, etc..
Abune Mathias was waiting until now to accuse the Ethiopian government of genocide in Tigray b/c TDF is has all but won the war and “Prosperity” Party has crumbled.
Mathias is pretty much like the Vatican Pope cutting a deal w/ Hitler and Mussolini to preserve their vast wealth and power until the allied forces (e.g., TDF) liberated Europe and crushed the fascists, then, and only then, did the pope/Vatican speak up about war crimes and “moral compass” bullshit.
Most likely, they all are waiting until now for the same reason that Addis Standard was waiting to, for the first time, even acknowledge the Tigray war and Abiy’s/PP’s treasonous horrors they committed against all of Tigray peoples, which reason is that TDF is about to not only push out the genocidal invaders (Amahara, PP, and Isaias) from Tigray but now it poised to effect regime change in Asmara and Addis Ababa. The AU, EU, UN, and US left Tigray for dead, but now the Phoenix has risen from their ashes, they are all now begging for ‘dialogue’ and negotiations.
It was not until the Amahara started killing Oromo, and Oromo PP split from Fed PP and OLF/OFC announce boycotting the (fake) election, did Mathias begin to publicly talk about negative things happening in Ethiopia.
the TDF endgame is coming very soon… I’m expecting w/in weeks, not months… Firstly, they need to get the genocidal invaders out of Tigray before rainy season (e.g., w/in 4 wks), then they can focus their military after that on Addis. I figure they calculate the fastest way to achieve step 1 is to attack Athmara and Gondar (w/ Sudan) now that TDF has destroyed EFF and ENDF, and Amhara militias are so easy to wipe out..
go TDF!!! get the life, liberty, and justice that they deserve, and the International community has denied them… and these Tigrayan Abiy/PP collaborators/enablers be damned!
Thanks 🙏 Mr & Mrs Wadely for taking personal risk to smuggle the vid. You are true heroes.
God bless
SB