Defending
national security and peace
Editorial
Ethiopian Observer
“Then
we traveled thence by sea for fifteen nights and arrived at
Mogadishu
. It is a town endless in its size. Its people have many camels,
and many sheep. Its people are powerful merchants. In it are
manufactured the cloths named after it which have no rival and are
transported as far as
Egypt
and elsewhere” January AD 1331. ( Ibn Battuta In Black Africa,
S. Hamdun & N. King, p. 16)
Somalia
has since the overthrow of Said Barre lacked a legitimate
government worth its name representing it as a country in the
international community. Though the problem of
Somalia
is deep-rooted as to its constellation of various clans and
composition of two different colonized regions (British Somaliland
and Italian Somaliland) being brought under one umbrella, the
state of
Somalia
is more homogeneous in regard to language and religion more than
to many African countries. Simply put the later qualities were
enviable for nation building and prosperity. However, with the
rising of Cold War politics and dictatorial upsurge of the elites
around Siad Barre known for his clan mentality and his
megalomaniac ambition of creating “Greater Somalia” to unite
the five Somalis into one, i.e., the Somalis in Kenya, Ethiopia (Ogaden)
and Djibouti to the already existing two, triggered creating havoc
and destruction among our brothers and sisters in Somalia. Wars
were waged against
Ethiopia
to occupy and incorporate the vast region of Ogaden both during
1964 and 1977. This war mentality has instilled the mentality of
our neighboring country and the illusiveness in reinstating
animosity along with the attachment to the “unbelievers” and
thereby appealing to their own extremists to fight Ethiopians.
However, the hospitality of Ethiopians during the trying times for
Somalis beginning from 1990s to 2000s is evident during the mass
exodus of Somalis through
Ethiopia
to various countries in the world.
The
enormous suffering of Somalis is a matter urgency to resolve their
problems and find out ways of descent living together as a people
not only to us Ethiopians as neighbors but to the whole world.
During the 1988-1990 civil war in
Somalia
, fifty to sixty thousand people were killed not to mention the
barbarity of the trigger-happy squads and militias, which in the
absence of a central government and the state has literally
terrorized and plundered for the last 16 years. It is tragic to
see that internecine war among Somalis should continue unabated
while the world is watching the rise of Taliban-like extremists
take root in
East Africa
.
Even
though there is a legitimate government recognized by the World
and Regional Bodies such as UN, AU and IGAD, no measures were
taken to defend its authority through diplomacy engagements,
sanctions or direct interventions to give hope and possibilities
for the peace loving people of
Somalia
. All countries that have committed themselves to help the
transitional federal government (TNG) of
Somalia
have to show their expediency and solidarity through concerted
efforts to establish a working government and avoid jeopardizing
the regional peace and security of the Horn of Africa and
Middle East
.
Ethiopia
as a front side country in the Horn of Africa cannot idly
substantiate its policies on wait and see till the Horn of Africa
is stained with bloodbath by the Islamic fundamentalists, who have
declared jihad on
Ethiopia
and trying to occupy Ogaden. The consequences of religious
extremists at the helm of power have been shown earlier to serve
as safe heavens for harboring terrorists, generating suicide
bombers and educating reckless individuals bent on converting
people according to their own way of religious dogma. This dogma
of the fanatics has no room for tolerance of other beliefs or
ideologies beyond their boundaries not to mention of their own as
uttered by the Islamic Courts (person not praying five times
should be punished).
The
irony of this extreme type of religious fundamentalism is that
sources of income, wealth, logistics, armaments, etc. are provided
by those, who in the perverted phrase of “my enemy’s enemy is
my friend”, work against the their own long-term interests.
There are wealthy people in our region who caring less for the
poor are arming them in the fight against the “evils” and
“unbelievers”, there are also some who call themselves
“coalition of the willing” such as Isaias Afeworki, who ride
on the bandwagon of the global fight against terrorists but is
arming terrorists to destabilize Ethiopia and the region including
the Sudan, Chad, etc. Frustrated by the defeat at the hands of the
brave Ethiopians, Isaias wanted to create a new third front at the
South Eastern part of the country so that his attempt of
three-pronged insurgency including the northern part along
Eritrea
and the central part would materialize. The central part in Quara
of mercenaries along with his advisors has recently been
annihilated without any herald evidently remaining for
Asmara
’s news and stratagem. The third front created by
Asmara
is very serious as this step of sending arms violates the arms
embargo imposed by the UN (See Resolution 1474, 2003 http://www.womenwarpeace.org/somalia/docs/res1474.pdf).
Ethiopia
following the spirits and charters of the UN, has tried both
through IGAD, AU and UN to find solutions for this war torn
country, where its citizens have been suffering for so long and so
many. Ethiopians have been trying sincerely to mediate peace and
stability in
Somalia
so that both neighbors live and prosper on mutual respect and
integrity. However, the threat and declaration of jihad against
Ethiopia
by the irresponsible fanatics do not deter us from safeguarding
our national security and peace. Any threat or aggression to
violate the integrity of our Ethiopian territory and integrity by
any extremists or their messengers is going to be dealt by the
combined forces of resistance of the Ethiopian peoples.
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