Terrorism and economic sabotage are not new ways of undermining security of the state, especially its internal security. Their dangerous impact results from their destructive effectiveness. Terrorism and sabotage threats are not limited to war time operations or crises preceding them. At any moment, representatives of political and administrative power, mobilization system as well as key political, economic and military objects may be the targets of sabotage or terrorist attacks. The aim of those actions is to disorganize state’s economy, its defensive potential, political life and administration, weaken country’s role on the international arena and undermine its alliances. An effective fight with the mentioned threats, thus, results from legal order in a given country and requires preparedness of various specialized institutions.
According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), terrorists cause not only a direct loss of human life; but they can also cause immeasurable economic loss too. The effects of terrorism can be terrifyingly direct. In this case, people are kidnapped or killed; pipelines are sabotaged; bombers strike markets, buses, and restaurants with devastating effect.
However, terrorism inflicts more than human casualties and material losses. It can also cause indirect but serious harm against the target countries and their economies by increasing the costs of economic transactions. The economic burden of terrorism can take myriads of forms. National income losses and growth-retarding effects; disrupting production; scarring off investors or dampened foreign direct investment and disparate effects on international trade, among others are the direct and indirect impacts of terrorism on the economy.
The terrorist TPLF group had been creating economic sabotages against the country since its inception in the 1970s. Currently, the terrorist TPLF remnants, activists, apologists at home and abroad are trying to sabotage the Ethiopian economy aimed at disintegrating the motherland and harming the one hundred million plus population. For instance, the terrorist group damaged numerous mega infrastructures inside and outside of Tigray region.
Recently, Ethiopian Electric Power (EEP) announced that the terrorist TPLF remnants have damaged over half a billion Birr worth of electricity infrastructure within the past months. The total damage amount exceeds trillions when the damage on the telecom, electricity, road, airports, water supply, among other infrastructures is accumulated.
In its recent statement, the Addis Ababa City Administration has announced a temporary regulation against increment of housing rental fees and expelling of renters from house that lasts for 90 days aiming to control inflation and stabilize the economy. The statement underscored that it is against the city administration’s regulation to increase housing rent for the next three months.
According to the statement, the cost of living has skyrocketed in recent years and further exacerbated in the last months under the guise of war undergoing in the northern part of the country. The high cost of living is largely unjustifiable and subjective. The high cost of living has put a strain on the city’s residents. The residents of the city are actively engaged supporting the Ethiopian National Defence Force (ENDF) by contributing money and other in-kind to thwart the atrocious activities of the terrorist TPLF in the northern part of the country. While residents of the city from different walks of life are preparing food for the army and donating blood; a few greedy individuals are standing in the opposite direction and deviating from Ethiopian decency and engaging in various activities to take advantage of the current crisis.
In order to address the problem, the government is taking various measures to withstand the onslaught of external and internal pressures and to reduce the living conditions of its citizens.
Accordingly, the task force set up to reverse the economic crisis involving the lower echelons of society is doing a lot of work. In the short term, there have been significant changes in the activities of the task force.
Apart from basic consumer goods, the unreasonable and current rent increase is seriously challenging the lives of residents. The price hike in every item is adding insult to the injury as many people are in trouble due to widespread of COVID-19 pandemic in the country. As a result, residents are also complaining that there is an unreasonable increase in rents. Therefore, in response to the residents’ grievances to limit the current unjust rent increase, the Addis Ababa City Administration Cabinet discussed and approved the proposal to suspend the rent increase for 90 days. Accordingly, the increase in house rent and eviction is prohibited for 90 days from the date of its promulgation on 08/28/2021 and may be extended for further months. The provision stipulates that the aggrieved tenant may file a grievance in writing to the Woreda Executive Offices for resolution. Complaints filed on this basis will be investigated and the aggrieved party will be held accountable in accordance with the rules.
Although this regulation was issued to protect citizens from unnecessary pressure and hold the perpetrators accountable, the city administration calls on all to do their part by focusing on the Ethiopian values of solidarity.
Residents of Addis Ababa said they are working to expose those who are working to disrupt the city’s peace and increase the cost of living.
Addis Ababa City Administration Trade and Industry Development Bureau announced that it has taken steps to prosecute businesses that were involved in economic misconduct and sabotages.
Head of the City’s Trade and Industry Development Bureau, Bureau Abdulfatah Yesuf said that a task force led by the deputy mayor has been set up at the city level to curb the city’s economic woes. Extensive discussions have been held with the business community on the current situation in the country.
According to Abdulfatah, 1,886 businesses operating in the city have been fined. The licenses of 657 organizations found to be operating contrary to the commercial law have been revoked and 64 operators are charged with criminal mischief.
In addition, 369 warehouses in different areas have been inspected and 20 warehouses have been sealed due to hording of products such as, cooking oil, steel, and wheat in their stores aimed at creating shortage and artificial inflation. In line with this, large quantities of building materials, such as steel, foodstuffs, salt, pepper, oil, and grains, were also found in these warehouses, and expired juices that were harmful to health were seized. In this regard, 19 irresponsible greedy traders were also found to be selling products with improper measuring instruments.
Economic experts recommended that the terrorist TPLF group and its collaborators are engaged in economic sabotage to weaken military and economic activities of the country. They urged the government to tighten the regulatory systems to fight against such economic crimes towards the country.
Accordingly, the economic sabotage is already manifested in Ethiopia in the form of hoarding hard currency, hiding outputs of industrial and agricultural products, attacking digital system of the country, divulging military secrets and economic information to the terrorist group TPLF, cutting development aid and loans to Ethiopia.
The government needs to tackle these subversive activities by introducing new approaches such as enhancing strong regulatory system and regulating business companies which have connection with the terrorist groups TPLF and Shene, they asserted.
BY TEWODROS KASSA
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD SEPTEMBER 3/ 2021
