Ethiopia deserves West’s unreserved support, not pressure

BY MULATU BELACHEW

ADDIS ABABA – Imposing an increasing resistance and resentment against Ethiopia to commit what it sees as national suicide remained counterproductive and unproductive to ensure lasting peace in the country in particular and in the region at large, so said an author. Citing in his article published on The Defense Post, David Steinman, the author of Money, Blood and Conscience, a historical novel about the TPLF dictatorship stated that the pressure will only bring marginal short-term gains for Western strategic and humanitarian regional goals and is ultimately counterproductive.

Hence, the international community should provide gov’t with logistical, financial, moral and diplomatic support instead of imposing pressure upon it as TPLF is made out of the minds of every Ethiopia following its unforgettable historical black acnes. He further said that firmly siding with Abiy’s government and making the TPLF more hopeless will give the West a chance to end Ethiopia’s conflict sooner.

“Ethiopians are still grieving and traumatized by the TPLF’s homicidal former rule and its ethnic-based destabilization campaign to maintain its corrupt grip on the national economy and they see TPLF as genocidaires, murderers, child torturers, rapists, and terrorists — and justifiably so according to most human rights groups watches.”

The Western powers helped turn the TPLF, which started the conflict with an unprovoked attack on federal military installation, into the monstrosity it is today by countenancing and enabling its crimes against humanity for years. Now, when Abiy is struggling to contain this existential threat to his country’s security but the West is making his task more difficult, he stated.

When the conflict is escalating to new and dangerous levels, the international community’s evenhanded response to TPLF aggression against an ally has signaled again to friends and foes worldwide that the West is an unreliable partner and fueled that escalation by encouraging and emboldening the TPLF. When the fabricated economic data is stripped away from the TPLF’s governance history, the TPLF’s return to the national government, which is its ultimate aim, would likely lead to even greater deprivation than the current crisis. In light of such concerns, and given the implausibility of a negotiated settlement any time soon, incentivizing Abiy with a transactional solution to his problem is more likely to feed Tigrayans before aid cuts and sanctions do.

The international community should offer Abiy logistical, intelligence, financial, diplomatic, and moral support of his war in return for greater humanitarian access. If accepted, mechanisms should be implemented to prevent the relief aid from being looted and diverted to TPLF fighters. Human rights are important and should be defended as much as possible in these circumstances but Abiy is already willing to cooperate on human rights and could do a better job but the TPLF’s leaders have more innocent blood on their hands than their federal or Amhara opponents when their full track record is considered.

The Ethiopian Herald September 4/2021

Recommended For You