BY TEFERA WORKU
On Thursday Feb 11/21, there was a news clip at Aljazeera English regarding the situation in the border region of Ethiopia and Sudan. In the clip, a reporter asks a teary eyed Sudanese father with his small child. The father claims that “while the child’s Mom (his wife) was out in the woods with nine other Sudanese Women, Ethiopian Militia Men opened fire and killed her”. Remember the News outlet didn’t include the requisite qualifier that alleged incidence.
The teary eyed father went on saying “…now I have to raise him without a mother…” This means Aljazeera is only about buying sympathy to Sudanese “cause”. Then, the News clip went on interviewing the Sudanese General who is supposedly commanding the Sudanese Army that claims to control 50 per cent of the land that was being inhabited by Ethiopian Agro entrepreneurs (in my view the inhabitants are modern or traditional Enters) and other farmers.
It says that, the disputed land was once the British Colonial rulers declared to be that of Sudan in 1902. The News outlet shows the response of the above General in which the General says, “…not only us i.e., the soldiers but also all Sudanese are ready to die here…” Never mind the silliness that says all Sudanese will die then that amounts to victory, but not even once Aljazeera has added a response from the Ethiopian side.
Let’s remember that one of the fundamental Tenets of competent Journalism is that “To every story there are two sides”, or shall we say many sides. This alone makes this News clip, repeated every hour that day, a journalistically sub-sub-standard piece.
Normally, reputable media outlet will try to contact an Ethiopian FM or Prime Minister Spokesperson, then say we tried to contact so and so but were unable to be reached, etc. Also, we have to keep in mind that 1902 is just six years after the Victorious (To The Ethiopian Side) battle of Adwa, Minilik-II, that time, understandably, war weary, whereas The British like the Italians, Belgians, The French, etc were in the middle of scrambling to colonize their share of the then Africa.
So, when Ethiopia was busy repulsing the aggressor, Italian Army, they might have secured this contested Land, which most likely is legitimately that of Ethiopia as a buffer from their rival colonialist adventurer rival Italy.
Finally, the above analysis shows that once this was not an honest slip of News reporting, rather it is an attempt to make just the Sudanese version a part of Historical record. The News clip also makes Ethiopian Ethnic reference which never seems to have enough of the Water 85 per cent, which’s source is Ethiopia.
In conclusion, first, no people of any nation always agree on everything so no matter what our internal differences we shouldn’t make ourselves vulnerable to manipulations and attacks that will jeopardize our collective primary interest. Secondly, History and facts are on our side and based on that what is ours should remain so and for that we have to always remain vigilant.
The author of this article Tefera Worku, is a Math Doctoral Trainee, Math Academic and Researcher, 85-06, in the USA + A BSc. Msc. Math Grad from AAU and former Lecturer there 80-85 and 08-10.
The Ethiopian Herald February 20/2021
