Response to the Recent Communique by the Ethiopian Academy of Science: You can’t Duck to Hide with a Stolen Camel

By Mulu Gettaw
Tigrai Online Jan. 8, 2021

On January 1, 2021 the Ethiopian Academy of Science (EAS) released a communique about the ongoing crisis in Ethiopia. It is very sad to see that the Academy fails to take its basic responsibility and oath to be truthful and impartial. It is unfathomable that the EAS didn’t even consider the publicly available facts about the genesis of the war and its consequences in its discourse to come up with nine recommendations. The minimum we expect from a science academy is rigorous synthesis of published data when doing primary research is not feasible. The EAS instead chose to tow tail the Ethiopian government line of propaganda and misinformation.

EAS is led by an august group of elderly men and women like Prof Tsige Gebremariam, Prof Yalemtsehay Mekonnen, Prof Habtamu Wondium, Prof Mesfin Araya, Prof Afework Kassu and others with PhD and MDs. Frankly, while I understand why some of these people have to tiptoe the Ethiopian government lines in their communique (they are top government appointees of Abiy Ahmed Ali), I don’t really understand why others have signed to such poorly crafted and hypocritical press release against their own very persona and the values the EAS website espouses which is given below.

“The Ethiopian Academy of Sciences is an autonomous, non-profit, non-governmental organization established in March 2010 by a group of prominent scholars who wish to promote the Sciences and bring about development, prosperity and improved health services for the peoples of Ethiopia. The Academy aims to advance the development of all the science s.” 

The most sacred value of any scientific academy or group to keep its integrity is to follow the scientific method in its activities especially on issues of great consequences to society. The EAS has failed miserably on all counts of the required steps and methods to arrive at valid conclusions. Frankly, I am... Read More