A recent tweet from Ethiopia’s President Sahle-Work Zewde has sparked widespread speculation about her possible resignation. The tweet, which quoted a line from Mahmoud’s song Silence is My Answer, read: “When a person feels sad and broken, when he has got no place to go, hope is his only hope.” This emotionally charged message, coupled with reports from The Habesha that the President may resign as early as next week, has ignited rumors and intensified the public debate about her future.
The President’s cryptic tweet comes at a time when she is facing increasing criticism for her perceived passivity in addressing the ongoing conflict across several parts of Ethiopia. Many critics argue that her silence on the war and the humanitarian crises it has caused has left a leadership void during a critical moment for the country. With conflict tearing through multiple regions, the calls for more vocal and assertive leadership from the President have been growing louder.
The rumors of her resignation were further fueled by The Habesha’s report, which suggested that Sahle-Work could be stepping down next week. As these speculations gained momentum, her tweet seemed to add confirmation to the possibility, with many interpreting the words as a sign of her growing disillusionment with the state of the nation.
In response to the swirling rumors, however, the President’s office issued an official statement aimed at dispelling the speculation. “The article is posted on a personal account and does not concern our office,” a spokesperson for the President’s office stated . The office’s statement appears to distance the President’s official role from the emotional tone of her personal social media post, seeking to clarify that no resignation is currently in motion.
Despite the clarification, the timing of the tweet and the context in which it was posted have left some observers skeptical. For many, the tweet’s feelings of sadness and despair echoed sentiments that could easily be seen as reflecting the pressure of leadership, particularly amid growing public frustration with the President’s handling of national crises.
Sahle-Work, Ethiopia’s first female president, was widely celebrated when she took office in 2018, heralded as a symbol of progress and reform. However, as Ethiopia’s political climate has grown more volatile, her perceived reluctance to speak out has drawn sharp criticism from both the public and political commentators.
The speculation surrounding her future may not fully dissipate, even with the President’s office dismissing the tweet as a personal expression.
የየኢትዮጵያ ኘሬዜዳንት ሆኖ ማገልገል ለመላው ሀገርቱ ነው። ትግራይ ሲትታመስ ኦሮሚያ በውዥንብር ሲትታረስ በአስቸኳይ ጊዜና ኮማንድ ፖስት ሰትተዳደር ምን ያሉት ነገር ነበር? አፍንጫ ሲመታ አይን ያለቅሳል ነውና ውክልናዎ የአንድ ክልል ብቻ ነበረን? ሌላው ብሔር አይመለከቶትም ነበር? ያሳዝናል። ችግሮች ካሉ ቦታዎ ሆነው ለመፍታት መጣር እንጂ መልቀቅ አይመስለኝምና ዘረኝነት አያስብልምን? ምንም ከእርስዎ በላይ ባላውቅም መላልሰው ያስቡበት የሚል አስቸያየት አለኝ።
If H.E. President Sahle-Work Zewde is retiring, it would be a well deserved one. She has brought grace to the office just like her predecessors since 1995. She is a few years younger than I am and have passed the mark well beyond the retirement age. You deserve it, Madam. Now go back home and be kept busy by your adoring grandchildren. I can tell you that you will never have a dull moment.
Ireechaa is a festival of Thanksgiving, peace and harmonious living. Sadly so, it has been misunderstood, misinterpreted and intentionally misused by connivers and bigots. My very dear brothers and sisters! Take a bow from this beyond-repair Afro-Ethio-Centric high mileage countryman wishing you a happy Ireechaa.
Meanwhile, I hope someone close to this lumberjack of Oromia Region and would tell him to watch his language. I am talking about Al-Toweel Shimelis Abdisa. Ireechaa is a festival of Thanksgiving promoting peace and harmony among people. It should not be politicized and used to bully innocent citizens. I can sense why he is doing this. He is allegedly in charge of a highly secretive security outfit in his administration that is accused of gross human rights violations including mass arrests, extrajudicial executions in Oromia region and almost all of them are said to be Oromos. He may be trying to save his skin from possible future prosecution. I don’t want to repeat what he said but it showed me that his body had grown faster than his brain. Somebody above him should have a serious sit-down with him and pinch his moving lips. It has to stop.