Ethiopian Interest Is Harmed With The Invasion Of Somalia

[DANGIRL]

This is too Much!

By Ermias Abebe, Ph.D.




The TPLF led EPRDF government of Ethiopia has, today ? according to the BBC front page news, sent its army contingents ? unprovoked ? into the territory of Somalia. This is a critical step that will most probably have very detrimental consequences to peace within Ethiopia and stability in the entire Horn of Africa. Ethiopians, first and foremost, as well as Kenyans and other peoples of the region should be resolute in condemning this aggression if they want the region not to be the scenery of Islam-Christian conflict with possibly catastrophic outcomes of historic proportions reminiscent of the Gran Mohamed period in the 15th Century!

The people of Somalia have suffered immensely for over fifteen years, since 1991, the ouster of former President Said Barre. The world formally recognizes that troubled country as a "failed state." The Somalians are trying to find a solution to their problem - in their own way. They should be left alone and their own internal 'correlation of forces' should ultimately lead to a resolution of their state of affairs. From the lesson of world history, one can be confident that, left to their own means, they will soon, in their own time, find a solution that will galvanize their population to resurrect a form of government/statehood that fits their needs. In a word, let the powers to be leave them alone! Any imposed influence, be it from the Arab world, Eritrea, Ethiopia, the USA, can only have a negative impact. The lesson from the American failure in 1991 should not be forgotten.

In particular, the U.S. has, over the last few years, proven, for all who wish to see, that its war on terror is going terribly wrong. After the tragedy of 9/11, while the U.S. was correct and justified in invading Afghanistan, it should have intensified that effort, including the military campaign at Tora Bora, and captured the top leadership of Al Queda, thereby irreversibly severing the head of that monstrous terrorist organization once and for all. And the United States had that capability. Instead, the foreign policy of the current Bush Administration sadly served a very shallow egoistic interest of its head and launched another war on Iraq ? a country with an admittedly brutal dictatorship, but one that had absolutely no relations with Al Queda. The result ? the daily deaths of young American servicemen, the gradual destruction of a nation state ? Iraq, now moving toward a civil war, and the destabilization of the entire region (Iran and the nuclear fiasco, a new war in Lebanon between Hezbolla and Israel, instability in Palestine). The Bush administration is well aware of its blunder, but it unfortunately continues to deceive its own people and the world at large ? so no attempt will be made here to "lecture" it.

What is very sad is when old imperial tactics are resurrected. The Bush administration is deploying a proxy government of Ethiopia, a regime clearly unsupported by its own people ? as demonstrated by the tragic outcome of the recent Ethiopian elections - to install a puppet/satellite regime in the land of Somalia.

In May 2005 Ethiopia held its first ever purported democratic elections. In a very clear, historic, and unprecedented fashion, an absolute majority of its eligible voters spoke against the minority ethnic group led government/party of Meles Zenawi, which has been ruling that unfortunate country for the last fifteen years. Uncontested for example, in the capital city alone, Meles' party didn't even win a single seat. The minority regime retaliated by murdering over a hundred peaceful demonstrators. Moreover, in an unprecedented brutal fashion ? not even seen during the reign of the dreaded military Marxist government before it - the regime rounded up over 50,000 youth from the nation?s capital alone and hoarded them to concentration-like camps such as Dedesa. In addition, it locked up most of the newly elected sons and daughters of Ethiopia, including the Mayor of Addis Abeba, Dr. Brehanu Nega, who are still languishing in prison. Even the American Carter Center had admitted, though tacitly, to serious irregularities and human rights abuse during the elections and its aftermath. But it was the European Union Election Observation Mission led by the courageous Portuguese parliamentarian, Anna Gomez, which called a spade - a spade, and was bold enough to provide a lengthy and detailed report exposing the sham elections and the subsequent brutal retaliation of the regime against the Ethiopian people.

The ruling Ethiopian party/regime has ever since desperately struggled to solicit the support of the west in general, and the United States in particular. It appears to be clear that this Ethiopian aggression against Somalia has been condoned by the U.S. administration, and the domestically rejected regime of Ethiopia is implementing it to garner favor and support from America. After all, the so-called Islamist group, which appears to be supported by the people, kicked the U.S. backed coalition of warlords out of the Somali capital Mogadishu.

In its entire modern history, Ethiopia prides itself for never having any malicious designs against its neighbors. It has never coveted any foreign territory. On the other hand, it's on record for courageously defending against those powers that have tried to invade it. The Italian imperial power swallowed a bitter humiliating pill at Adowa in 1896 and again in 1936-41. The state of Somalia too had invaded Ethiopia in the early 1960s and again in the mid 1970s. Its ambition for a greater Somalia at the expense of Ethiopian territory was again humiliatingly checked on both occasions.

Today, Somalia doesn't pose any meaningful threat to Ethiopia. As mentioned earlier, it has been stateless for the last fifteen years and it?s currently struggling to create one. It should be made very clear that the people of Somalia are our friends, and whatever form of social organization and statehood they choose to reform - is their own business. If there should be any need for interference in the domestic affairs of Somalia, it should be only under the auspices of regional and/or international organizations such as the AU or the UN. Kenya is not sending troops unilaterally ? neither should Ethiopia.

Ethiopia also prides itself for having a population of nearly 70 million who are almost equally divided into Christians and Muslims and yet have historically demonstrated the art of living peacefully and in harmony together. The Somali Islamist groups are threatening "Jihad" against Ethiopia. We do not need an ill thought out policy of interference that may dilute the historic brotherly relations we have developed between Muslims and Christians in our country. This invasion may lead to terrorist attacks in Ethiopia, which will purport the recent bomb blasts in the nations capital to appear "as child play." It may fracture the carefully nurtured good relations between Muslims and Christians in our nation. Moreover, we may be creating new enemies in the broader Middle East region. This is very serious!

The present Ethiopian minority ethnic leadership has proven, time and again, that its artificially inflated testosterone level has come in the way of formulating sound and farsighted policies that promote the interest of the Ethiopian nation. In foreign policy, they are on record for plunging the country into a 19th century trench war with its neighbor Eritrea in 1998 over some barren land and villages while forfeiting its historic outlet to the sea and transforming a nation of 70 million (second in Africa) into a landlocked state. That war had cost almost a 100,000 lives by some estimates. We are witnessing the beginnings of another momentous blunder with possible catastrophic and lingering consequences.

This is a plea to all concerned Ethiopians, both at home and abroad. The TPLF led government's invasion of Somalia is a very serious threat to peace and stability in our country. It should be denounced resoundingly. We should exert every effort to expose it for what it is: a "splendid little war" designed to garner the minority regime in Ethiopia some favor in the eyes of the present Bush Administration in America. But it will neither be splendid or little. It has the potential of disrupting the harmony that has developed between Muslims and Christians in our nation for centuries. Ethiopia doesn't need to be actively enmeshed in the Islam-West divide which is appearing to be the major conflict of the twenty first century.

[mahamed99_sex]

dangirl, could you summarized.too long to read.

[Caana-Nuug]

DNGRL,

Interesting article, thanks for posting it. I've always said that if Ethiopia invades Somalia & wages war against the UIC, it will have devastating consequences for the whole region.

[DANGIRL]

Mahamed Read.If you cant read go seek help.

Caan-Nuug after reading that article Mr.Melez is doing what his master aka Bush tells him to do.I know that America promise never to go back to somalia after lossing 18 marines.So Ethiopia is fighting America war basically proxy war.