Category: Statements

A Statement from the Crown Council of Ethiopia by its President, His Imperial Highness Prince Ermias Sahle-Selassie Haile-Selassie

On behalf of the Crown Council, I extend my sincere and deepest condolences to the family of Mr. Hachalu Hundessa, a revered singer in Ethiopia. Mr. Hundessa has graced Ethiopia with his music, demonstrated is love for his Oromo culture and continuously challenged us to evaluate the value of unity. His senseless killing has profoundly affected people in Ethiopia and in the Diaspora.

At a time when the entire world is dealing with turmoil stemming from social dysfunctions in addition to the global health crisis which has shaken economies and developmental efforts for the wellbeing of nations, we now have to mourn the death of another courageous man. Hate crimes have erupted in all societies, benefiting only the forces of destruction and instilling fear as well as instabilities.

It is time for us to reconcile our differences. It is our moment in history for each of us to become a voice of reason to the unreasonable, and work towards fulfilling the hopes of our forefathers and mothers to develop Ethiopia and address the challenges of the youth.

Revisionism is a dangerous approach. Our youth have not benefited from historical education which not only would have highlighted how Ethiopia’s resisted foreign attempts to conquer our society, and how she showed her strength as a unified country to lead Africa and set an example to the world. Ethiopia’s greatness was never based on ethnicity. It has always been about the spirit our family of nations embodies; the culture it embraces and traditions it celebrates.

On June 30, 2020  (23 ሰኔ 2012), the destruction in Cannizaro Park, Wimbledon, in London, of His Imperial Majesty Emperor Haile Selassie I’s iconic statue, and the tearing down of the statue of the Emperor’s father — and a great 19th Century Ethiopian leader in his own right — Ras Makonnen, in Harar, confirms the concerns of our ancestors.

Ethiopians at home and in the Diaspora have witnessed an eruption of racism and ideological hatred against our own heritage with the wanton and deliberate destruction of statues of two historical figures who gave hope, prosperity, and unity to all Ethiopians. Have we forgotten that Oromo pioneers such as Taddasaa Biru, Jaagamaa Keello, Waqejira Serda, Dawit Abdi and Major Qadida Guremeysa all stood on the side of the Emperor and remained politically involved with him throughout their life?

When, on June 29, 2020, radical Oromo separatists utilized the tragic murder of the famous Oromo singer, Mr. Hachalu Hundessa, it affirmed the disruptors’ aim of halting our peaceful progress as well as dismantling the Prime Minister Abiy’s Government efforts. The destruction of these statues seeks only the demise of our diversity and demonstrates blind hatred. In pursuit of a divisive political and ethnocentric agenda, our aggressors are working tirelessly to stifle our interwoven strength and break our long-standing foundation.

The murder of Mr. Hachalu Hundessa, who had the right to speak freely and stand for his rights, has sparked greater violence, with the deaths of more than 100 people in subsequent riots. The radicals who used the excuse of secessionism and extremist ideology to attack the symbols of Ethiopia’s unity did not honor Mr. Hundessa; they defiled him by propagating hatred. In defense of Ethiopia’s sovereignty, we should remember Ras Abebe Aregai, Defense Minster Fitawory HabteGiorgis, General Mulugeta Buli and all the countless Oromo soldiers who stood as one nation in Battles such as the Battle of Adwa as well as the Battle of Machew. Let’s preserve the pride and integrity of our unity. These ethnically-motivated secessionists, supported and financed for many years by foreign governments, have become the enemy of Oromo’s progress, not the champions of Oromo greatness.

Historians know that our great unifiers, Emperor Haile Selassie I and Ras Makonnen along with many other leaders, have been beacons of reconciliation and unity. The radicals who tore down the statues did so knowing that the great motivation of Emperor Haile Selassie was to end ethnic and regional inequality in Ethiopia. Both the Emperor and Ras Makonnen were known for elevating Oromo People as other ethnic people in the territory of Ethiopia, ensuring that they would be a vital and equal part of the greater Ethiopian dream. They brought the Oromo into the heart of the Ethiopian society, and I am living proof, as is the Prime Minister, and so many others. Destroying their legacies and aspirations for Ethiopia will not erase their grandeur.

We must be able to forgive one another for our forefathers’ perceived wrongdoing. We must be able to reconcile our differences, as our shortcomings will be the greatest hurdles for our children. The world is not the same as it was in the time of the Emperor and his Father. Many things are changing and the 21st Century will affect the fundamentals of our existence. We must all overcome this crude belligerence, and this insult to our knowledge and dignity. We are capable of progress with our ability to act as a unified family of proud cultures and peoples.

The death of Mr. Hachalu Hundessa must be addressed transparently through judicial channels, and the murderers brought to justice in open trial. I am pleading to elders, mothers and fathers, and all Ethiopians to extend your reach and to work towards forgiveness. We must march towards hope, prosperity, and dignity.

A country, with its nation at home and abroad, mourns Mr. Hundessa’s untimely death as it has awakened us to the reality of our growing pains. We hope to build forward as one nation recognizing and valuing our culture, history and traditions.

Let us stand for reconciliation and forgiveness. Let us build a foundation of hope, prosperity, and dignity for our children.

God Bless You, and God Bless Ethiopia.

A Statement from the Crown Council of Ethiopia by its President, His Imperial Highness Prince Ermias Sahle-Selassie Haile-Selassie

Now, as the world is falling victim to a global and indiscriminate virus and has entered into a new era of economic dislocation, the People of Ethiopia are being challenged as never before.

And yet we shall prevail.

It seems as if the Almighty, in His Infinite Wisdom, is giving one more test to the Ethiopian People, who were emerging from almost a half-century of suffering. We were given a moment to breathe, but only so that we could gain strength to face the coming period.

This is our true test. We believed we had thrown off the shackles of communism and tyranny. We believed we were set to resume the path toward true democracy. Then this new crisis beset us, and all the world.

We had been given the past two years to grasp the gift we were given: the freedom to work together as Ethiopians, as true brothers and sisters, regardless of our region, our language, or our beliefs. Yet many of us still had scores to settle after 44 years of communist “divide and rule” tyranny.

Now we need to set aside the bitterness of those years. We must set them aside. We are one great People, made up of many equal clans and tribes and regions. And we will only survive this latest plague of economic and physical hardship, and start again on the road to prosperity, if we focus on the importance of unity and discard the small things.

We know that we can and will prevail in this new crisis. We can and will conquer not only the temporary scourge of this virus, which has already taken its first Ethiopian lives in Ethiopia itself and in the Diaspora, but we will come together as never before. Those we have lost to this virus, and those we are still yet lose, are indeed martyrs who cause us to pause in humility, to cease our quarreling and come together again; in sorrow for the lost souls and lost time, but united and proud.

Their deaths — and the sacrifices of our healthcare professionals at all levels, and all those who volunteer to help those suffering because of this combined biological and economic virus — will not be in vain if we cease our bickering and rejoice in our ability to make our peoples once again greater than the sum of their parts.

We have been given a great opportunity to set aside our petty differences — indeed, we have been given a wider world view in which our differences as Ethiopians can be celebrated and respected — in order to create a new Ethiopia which shows the world our three and a half millennia of unique strengths.

The Government has wisely attempted to introduce practical measures which will limit the spread of the coronavirus, and to enable our healthcare professionals to show us their skills, valor, and commitment.

But what this period also gives us is time to reflect on the possibility that we can emerge from this period of challenge, restored as a true family of Ethiopians.

This must be a time for us to innovate a new Ethiopia. We must strive to grow our own food in abundance, and feed all Ethiopians. We must seek ways to open our internal trade so that our own food crops and manufactures can be distributed to all corners of Ethiopia. And this must include all the members of our historical family, such as Eritrea and Djibouti.

We must all take heart and joy in the songs and symbols of our neighbors. We must give thanks that no Ethiopian can be set above another. And that no other people can set themselves above Ethiopians, just as we do not wish to set ourselves over others. We must give respect to the differences of faith through which each of us in our separate ways shows service to our Creator. And it is time for us to pray together.

No land has greater opportunity than Ethiopia. No people has a history deeper and richer than Ethiopia. We have each other to share and celebrate our triumphs — and there will be triumphs to come — just as we have each other to strengthen us through our trials.

In all of this, the Crown of Ethiopia is only a symbol of your greatness, your potential, your strength, and your compassion.

It is yours.

God Bless You, and God Bless Ethiopia.

A Statement from the Crown Council of Ethiopia by its President, His Imperial Highness Prince Ermias Sahle-Selassie Haile-Selassie

The security, stability, and prosperity of much of Africa, the Caribbean, Europe, and Asia is presently being challenged, almost as never before, by changes occurring around the world. We must all look beyond the immediate to do what is right for our societies and for the future of them through the next phase of history. And we must mourn for the recent losses of innocent lives in these conflicts which defy historical reason. Our hearts go to the grieving families.

The Crown Council of Ethiopia is not a political entity; nor does it wish to shape the will of the people. It cannot, and would not, venture interference in the governance of Ethiopia, nor of those societies around the world which are home to so many who value the historical role of Ethiopia and have been inspired by the millennia of symbolism of the Solomonic Crown.

But neither would the Crown wish to be seen to be silent out of lack of care for those who look to it as a symbol of hope, unity, and compassion and as repository of all our ethical values.

We have been approached for comment on the great upheavals which the Government has inherited inside Ethiopia, but we can only urge our People to remember the humanity of their Fellow Ethiopians. Unity, courage, and inspiration can solve many things, and we are engaged with you, as we have been these past five decades or so of hardship. We will never abandon the Ethiopian People: Not any one of them, regardless of language, origins, or beliefs.

We have been approached to comment on forthcoming elections in the Caribbean, but we can only urge those there who look to the Solomonic Crown for guidance to act with calmness, in good conscience, and with a will to put the interests of their nation ahead of petty issues and short-term gratification. Like the People of Ethiopia, so many of you in the Caribbean have suffered the indignity of seeing society transform through transactional politics. But voters, too, have their part to play. You must play it. It is more than voting; it lies in preserving dignity.

The Caribbean can be a beacon of democracy. So, too, can Ethiopia. Nobility of spirit can be achieved by us all, and it can transform our societies. Together we can be a beacon of tolerance, and that will lead to true prosperity and a better world.

God Bless Ethiopia, and God Bless our Brothers and Sisters in the Caribbean and around the World. His late Imperial Majesty Emperor Haile Selassie I, whom God has blessed, bound Ethiopia and the Caribbean — and the Americas — together. Let us honor him with Peace.

A Statement from the Crown Council of Ethiopia by its President, His Imperial Highness Prince Ermias Sahle-Selassie Haile-Selassie

Ethiopians around the world share with joy the news that our Prime Minister, Dr Abiy Ahmed Ali, has been named the recipient of the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize.

The 27-year old journalist credits Abiy’s peace deal with Eritrea last year for reuniting him with his father. Like thousands of other families they had been separated by two decades of hostility with Ethiopia’s longtime enemy.The Award was specifically to recognize Dr Abiy’s “efforts to achieve peace and international cooperation, and in particular his decisive initiative to resolve the border conflict with neighboring Eritrea”.

We recognize that he took a vital step in the reconstruction not only of Ethiopia, but of our entire region of peoples of our common family. Dr Abiy’s gesture toward restoring familial relations with Eritrea was a genuine and spontaneous act of reconciliation between the peoples of Ethiopia and Eritrea. It was immediately reciprocated by the Eritrean People and leadership. It was a gesture based on the restoration of justice for individual people of our family of nations, and, as such, certainly merited recognition by the international community.

Dr Abiy’s action restored the unity of many families, and restored hope to so many people. It was, indeed, a vital early step in the reconstruction of the dignity, history, and mutual respect of all of the peoples of our great family.

The Crown Council not only applauds Dr Abiy and congratulates him for the Nobel Peace Prize, but urges that we all see this as the start of the restoration of the mutual respect with which all Ethiopians – and those of our extended family in Eritrea, Djibouti, and the Somali peoples – greet and treat each other. We join in urging respect for the great traditions and languages which make distinct each society of our family, knowing that we all share a common value and identity – our Ethiopianness, formal or informal – under which we can value the distinct pride of our various regions and their respective governments.

God Bless Prime Minister Abiy. God Bless Ethiopia.

Remarks at the Ethiopian Embassy, Washington, DC, on 16 Hamle 2011 (July 23, 2019) by His Imperial Highness Prince Ermias Sahle-Selassie Haile-Selassie, President of the Crown Council of Ethiopia

Today, the 16th of Hamle 2011 (July 23, 2019), marks the 127th anniversary of the birth of His Imperial Majesty Emperor Haile Selassie I. In another month, we will mark the 44th anniversary of his murder.

Today, we mark the achievements of his remarkable 83 years of service to Ethiopia, to Africa, to the World, and to God.

The Emperor is generally regarded as the inspiration and guiding hand in creating the Organization of African Unity on May 25, 1963, in Addis Ababa. But that act was but one aspect of his inspiration to all Africans, and while he remained alive he totally embodied the concept of African dignity, African harmony, and the leadership which Ethiopia could demonstrate to all Africans and those of African descent.

His forebear, His Imperial Majesty Emperor Menelik II, gave the initial rallying call to Africans when, in 1896 in the Western calendar, he and his forces staged the first major defeat in Africa of an invading European power at the Battle of Adwa. But it was Emperor Haile Selassie’s defeat of the invading Italian forces in 1941 which gave the West its first victory in the war against fascism. In that, he inspired not only the West, but all of Africa, and with that action ensured that European colonialism in Africa was to become a thing of the past.

The Emperor, who was the foremost proponent of collective global action, was the great prophet of what would happen if the world succumbed to fascism, when Italy invaded Ethiopia again in 1935. He told the League of Nations: Today it is us; tomorrow it is you.

His Majesty was not only a globalist, but a profoundly passionate nationalist, and an inspiring regionalist. He saw no conflict in his belief that the nation-state of Ethiopia — a collection of jewels of different peoples, languages, and cultures — could become a vibrant and self-reliant entity, while also championing the rise of all African societies within a context of global trade and cooperation. Today, as we see such a great schism between globalists and nationalists in many countries around the world, we would do well to learn from Emperor Haile Selassie. And in Ethiopia itself, we would do well to understand why he championed each and every group and culture within our great common identity as Ethiopians. He did not belittle any component of our great Ethiopian society, but, rather, sought for each facet of our cultures and religions a place in a glittering Ethiopian identity.

In so doing, the Emperor pioneered the creation of modern states in Africa; states which could each embody diverse cultures and peoples. He was, then, the great exemplar of unity, of inclusion, of cooperation, and of ensuring that all people felt valued, inspired, and had the ability to contribute and soar to their fullest destiny.

We thank H.E. Ambassador Fitsum Arega for opening his Embassy doors to us on this historic day. We also wish to thank the organizers of tonight’s event. It has been an amazing year to witness the erection of the statue of His Majesty at the African Union headquarters in Addis Ababa. We are grateful to H. E. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and his Administration for working with the A.U. to make this a reality. We pray that peace prevails in Ethiopia. May God Bless Ethiopia; to Bless and inspire the work of a harmonious and cooperative Africa for which the Emperor worked, and to ask God, most humbly, to Bless the sacred memory of Emperor Haile Selassie I.

His Imperial Highness Prince Ermias Sahle-Selassie Haile-Selassie, President of the Crown Council, on the 18th of Säne 2011 (June 25, 2019), issued the following statement on behalf of the Council:

The Ethiopian Crown, along with all Ethiopians, mourns the tragic loss of life which occurred in our family of peoples on the 15th of Säne 2011 (June 22, 2019), and the animosities and responses these killings engendered.

We should by now have rejected the tool of assassination and armed violence to resolve our internal concerns. The Crown, along with the Ethiopian People, also mourns and regrets the fact that mis-trust and fear continue to exist in our society between some of the great nations which make up our beloved Ethiopia.

It is obvious that we have a legacy of some four decades of distrust to overcome. But we must return to the view all Ethiopians have equal rights and opportunities.

We have, since the overthrow of legitimate governance by the Dergue, been subjected to policies which denied us our collective history and legitimacy. These deprived us of our birthrights in many respects. But a year ago we began the path back toward normalcy, prosperity, and greatness, and we cannot now allow distrust to continue to find a place within our ranks.

The Ethiopian Crown stands ready to help arbitrate, if called upon, to help rebuild the bridges between our Ethiopian peoples and regions. We send our condolences to the families of those killed on the 15th of Sane 2011. Let us ensure that we learn from this tragedy, and ensure that our Government safeguards the equal rights of all Ethiopians.

We are stronger together. May God Bless Ethiopia.

A Statement by His Imperial Highness Prince Ermias Sahle-Selassie Haile-Selassie, President of the Crown Council

We mourn with all Ethiopians and the international community the tragic loss today of Ethiopian Airlines Flight ET302 on its flight on March 10, 2019, from Addis Ababa to Nairobi, Kenya, taking with it 157 souls from 35 countries, including Ethiopia. We particularly mourn for, and with, the families of those passengers and devoted crew who perished.

The accident has a special poignancy because of the incredible efforts which Ethiopian Airlines has made to become the most modern and safest airline in Africa.

We know that the worldwide aviation community will learn lessons from the loss of this new Boeing 737 MAX 8 airliner, and that, as a result, the aviation community and the traveling public will ensure that the loss of the 157 people on Flight ET302 will lead to greater safety for all in the future.

God Bless the families and loved ones of all who perished on ET302, and the souls of the departed.

God Bless Ethiopia!

A Statement by His Imperial Highness Prince Ermias Sahle-Selassie Haile-Selassie, President of the Crown Council

It is with great pride that we have seen the achievements of a member of the Ethiopian Community in Australia recognized in the Australia Day Honours, announced on January 26, 2019. Ato Haileluel Gebre-Selassie, of Victoria, Australia, was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for his services to the African community of Victoria.

He was, in June 2017, also made a Member of the Order of the Star of Honour of Ethiopia (MSE) by the Ethiopian Crown in recognition for his decades of outstanding leadership within the Ethiopian and African communities of Australia, and for his pioneering work in aiding the establishment of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church in Australia. I was pleased to have been able to personally invest Ato Haileluel with his MSE during the Crown’s Commemorative Tour of Australia in 2017.

The Crown Council of Ethiopia profoundly congratulates Haileluel Gebre-Selassie on his award of the OAM. He and his fellow Ethiopians of the diaspora have demonstrated the great contributions of Ethiopians to communities around the world. Haileluel typifies those many Ethiopians who, during the four decades of the interregnum, have maintained the unique dignity and sense of our People, in the face of many privations.

They have kept alive the spirit of Ethiopianness while embracing their host countries around the world, contributing not only to their host nations, but also repatriating invaluable financial and moral sustenance to their homeland.

Congratulations, Ato Haileluel, and our thanks to you. God Bless Australia for welcoming and recognizing you!

God Bless Ethiopia!

A Statement by His Imperial Highness Prince Ermias Sahle-Selassie Haile-Selassie, President of the Crown Council

It is with great joy that we welcome the unveiling during the coming week of the first official statue to the blessed memory of His Imperial Majesty Emperor Haile Selassie I to be erected on his Continent since the Ethiopian coup of 1974 (2 Maskarram 1967).

It is fitting that this statue should be unveiled at the Headquarters of the African Union during the 32nd African Leaders’ Summit and in the presence of Ethiopia’s Prime Minister, Dr Abiy Ahmad Ali. The creation of the Organization for African Unity (OAU), the predecessor to the African Union (AU), in 1963 was one of the great achievements which the Emperor, my Grandfather, delivered to the People of Africa.

We thank the African Union and the Government of Ethiopia for ensuring that this healing event is occurring. It is a sign not only of the resurgence and optimism of Africa, but of the great healing which has begun to occur over the past year in Ethiopia and the regional nations which form a family with Ethiopia. The Ethiopian Crown has never wavered in its belief that prosperity, mutual respect, and unity would return to the lands of the Ethiopian families.

We thank the African Union and the Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs for the consideration they have shown in ensuring the participation of the Solomonic Family in the unveiling of this important icon to our shared history. The erection of the statue also commemorates the tireless and diligent work behind the scenes of those Ethiopians who helped to create the OAU.

We ask for God’s Blessing on this solemn yet joyous occasion, and on those who work for the restoration of Ethiopia’s ancient history and values, and who work for peace and prosperity throughout Africa.

God Bless Ethiopia! God Bless the African Union!

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The President of the Crown Council of Ethiopia, His Imperial Highness Prince Ermias Sahle-Selassie Haile-Selassie, was featured on January 26, 2019, on the nationally-syndicated US radio program, the John Batchelor Show, and Prince Ermias discussed the issue of the erection of the statue to His Imperial Majesty Emperor Haile Selassie I at the African Union Headquarters in Addis Ababa, and much more besides. Please listen in to the two-part radio program on the following podcast links:

A Statement by His Imperial Highness Prince Ermias Sahle-Selassie Haile-Selassie, President of the Crown Council

It is with great sadness that we have learnt of the passing of our former President, Girma Wolde-Giorgis. We extend our deepest sympathy to his family and to the Ethiopian people he served for many years.

The Almighty had blessed President Girma with a long life. He served his people with wisdom, tenacity, and bold leadership. His love for his people and his Ethiopia was exemplified by his spirit of volunteerism, service, and compassion.

His wise counsel and tireless efforts will be missed. He will remain as an exemplary statesman for coming generations.

May the Almighty grant solace to his family and grant his soul eternal peace.

HIH Prince Ermias Sahle Selassie Haile Selassie, for the Crown Council of Ethiopia.