A few days ago Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed made a call to all Africans to support Ethiopia in its current fight against not only the terrorist TPLF but also those who seem to be adamant in supporting it, posing a serious existential threat on the east African country.
Ethiopia has been fighting against the TPLF terrorism for the last year and we have not come across any western government who has condemned what suffering it has incurred. And yet all those who support the TPLF do know that what it has been doing was not only criminal and outrageous but also contrary to every international law and principle.
It is paradoxical to hear often that western countries stand up for the rights of peoples opposing authoritarian governments. But how many times have we seen them support dictatorial regimes? What sort of government was the TPLF led Ethiopian government before it was deposed by a people’s extensive protests? The west was supportive of TPLF because it carried out all ‘the assignments’ it was given even when it was not exactly in the prime interest of its compatriots! Western countries often fulfilled their strategic goals riding governments such as TPLF. They kept TPLF on power until it was impossible to do it due to prolonged and consistent public protests.
We have seen in the past that governments that refuse to advance the strategic interests of these countries are sooner or later doomed,. And they are replaced by accommodative ‘stooges’. Many experts argue that the government of Dr Abiy Ahmed is condemned to pay for its adamant attitude of giving priority to the national interests of its people rather than to the strategic interests of these powers and hence ‘the pressure’.
These western powers use their influence to depose a government even without shooting a bullet! An intense propaganda campaign prepares the ground work for paralyzing it economically, and even without sanctions. The economy of the country could then be reduced to shambles. People are made to rise up against their government as they fail to make ends meet. When a government is isolated from large part of the international community, it struggles to survive. Is this where we are heading?
Some observers note the post-cold war US seems to be anxious about the rising influence of China. China is very friendly to many growing economies and its influence is skyrocketing. The once undisputed US hegemony is in jeopardy. People in Africa view the Chinese as true friends who do not interfere in their domestic affairs. We have seen that ‘the weapon of human rights’ cannot be used anymore because the very idea of human rights is controversial.
There is clear contradiction and hypocrisy on how human rights have been used to coerce certain countries. We have seen time and again westerners intervene in the internal affairs of many countries using the horses they can ride, luring them with their dollars and arms. In the end, the people of those countries have often remained subdued and poor. Terrorism, human trafficking and drug trafficking have been cited as motives of intervention. The talk that they oppose any form of human rights breaches becomes meaningless when we see no word of opposition or condemnation against governments that fulfill their interests, responding subserviently.
Ethiopia and the US have had long historical ties and the records say the US has given enormous assistance to successive governments because Ethiopia is recorded as an ‘ally’. It seemed that the US Ethiopia relations have always proceeded smoothly. Moreover, there are more than a million Americans of Ethiopian origin. But at what cost has this relation been rated ‘excellent’ remains an issue. The TPLF led Ethiopian government was oppressive of the aspirations of Ethiopians. And yet it had the blessing of the west without being asked to rectify its policies. When change took place in 2018, the old policy of subservience to the west could not continue.
Ethiopians had enough and after twenty seven years the new government changed its priorities. Corruption was denounced, political prisoners were liberated, human rights were safeguarded, the federal system was not used to oppress others. Freedom of expression was restored and new democratic institutions were formed. What was even more significant was the peace made with Eritrea. The government boldly began to implement the people’s agenda. Priority was given to Ethiopian and African interests. Apparently this did not ring good in the ears of those countries who used to ride the TPLF horse. Now that this new government has questioned the policies of these mighty countries, accusations of human rights violations began. Systematic propaganda campaign reached new heights particularly after the TPLF initiated hostilities in the northern part of the country.
What makes the accusations suspicious is the fact that these western countries did know about the grave and continuous human rights violations TPLF committed on Ethiopians; but they had opted to turn a blind eye to them. They knew about the extent of corruption and injustice the group enjoyed at the expense of Ethiopians. They knew Ethiopians were not beneficiaries of the various ‘development cooperation projects’ as they should. Foreign currency reserves were directed to foreign destinations while the national coffers were empty and the national debt was piling up!
Ethiopians had to fight to deserve a better government. What we see today is an attempt to bring back this gang to power! The government of Abiy Ahmed is clearly not a minority government imposed on the people with the assistance of alien forces. It is a government that is voted in by Ethiopians. The TPLF is now declared a terrorist organisation by the Ethiopian parliament following what it did to the Northern Command. How can ‘democratic’ countries ally themselves with similar forces is what Ethiopians wonder about. The history of TPLF tells us it has never been a democratic party building its acceptance by ruthless force and suppression. And yet its representation hardly reaches six per cent of the Ethiopian population. How can it be entitled to monopolize power in the country?
When the TPLF attacked the Northern Military Command which had at its base about eighty per cent of the capabilities of the country, the Western countries did not utter a word of disapproval, probably because of their special relations with the TPLF. When things began to move on the side of the Ethiopian National Defence Forces, these forces began to press on the Ethiopian government to stop the fight! They never bothered to identify who began the first shot! When the government declared unilateral cease fire and left the regional state, they did not demand TPLF to stop hostilities. When TPLF’s belligerence crossed its regional boundaries and committed all sorts of atrocities, no one these voices spoke out loud. Ethiopians had to defend themselves from the unfolding disaster. And that is what they are currently engaged in. Ethiopia is a historic country that has resisted every form of colonization; and this time as well it will pay every sacrifice to do just that.
The Ethiopian government has the constitutional obligation to protect the republic from attacks. TPLF has openly declared war against Ethiopia and it said it would seek the assistance of even enemies of Ethiopia to fulfill such dream. And yet none of these so called democratic states wanted to utter a word of disapproval against similar threats. On the contrary, the Ethiopian government has said that it has found evidence of support from these circles, either directly or indirectly. And all sorts of pressure were put on the Ethiopian government rather than on the terrorist group.
African nations and many eastern bloc countries have continued to assert that the conflict in northern Ethiopia is an internal matter and needs to be addressed in that context. They have expressed their concerns over humanitarian issues but when some officials of the UN were found in partisan situations, the government was left with no options but expel them! Ethiopians are not as naïve as they were in the early nineteen nineties when the TPLF came from the bush and grabbed full power substituting the military government with the blessing of the West. The role of the US administration in that operation is now part of history. Why wonder if the TPLF continues to be supported by these powers. The bottom line is that it is a matter of strategic interests of the West and not of Ethiopians!
Ethiopia has its own geopolitical significance and the stance of Addis Ababa on these issues becomes key to whether it can obtain the approval of the West. Experts argue one of the bones of contention between the Abiy Prosperity Party government and the west could be the Nile issue and the Ethiopian flagship the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, GERD. Ethiopia claims its legitimate sovereign rights over the usage of the Nile water, but the West seems to disagree in open alliance with the intransigence of downstream countries. Moreover, the peace agreement between Ethiopia and Eritrea may be seen as a prelude to a unity of an east African bloc which could trigger more similar initiatives. This picture may not please some countries because unity generates force and such force could produce clouts to make their voices heard at platforms that matter. After all, African countries cannot live for centuries waiting for alms from the West! In this new trajectory, Abiy’s vision seems to have secured the support of countries such as China and Russia among others. This naturally may not match the strategic plans of the West in Africa.
Ethiopia is a key player in African political and economic sphere and the success of the GERD could be emulated elsewhere. Egypt must accept it can no more enjoy hegemonic rights on the Nile. The US is a strong ally of Egypt and despite the undemocratic regime in Cairo, it seems to care little as long as the country serves its strategic interests in the Middle East.
The recent threats of sanctions and the extensive one sided propaganda campaign using all its media outlets show how committed they are to the fate of TPLF. If Ethiopia disintegrates and chaos is created, they can then have ample justification to intervene. The hypocrisy of the west using human rights violations as a pretext to intervene in the internal affairs of many a sovereign country has been repeatedly recorded. See Libya, Somalia, Iraq, Afghanistan, Yemen…….
Western countries’ reluctance to admit and condemn TPLF as a terrorist organisation can only be a sign of hypocrisy. They see what they are doing in Ethiopia. The Abiy government has made it clear that it won’t concede to blackmail using handouts. Nothing is more important than the integrity and sovereignty of a hundred and ten million people!
Africa is watching closely developments in Ethiopia. They look to Ethiopians as standard bearers of African dignity. Whatever Ethiopians have been doing has influenced the rest of Africa. That is why it is imperative that all African countries come aboard the Ethiopian ship and save it from drowning. The consequences could be tragic for the rest of Africa as well.
Neo-colonial or imperialistic tendencies must be fought straight forward because Africans do not need babysitters who determine their fate. The recent extensive and all rounded assault by western media shows that they are rallying behind their ‘puppets’. Ethiopians are resolute to stand up with their leaders to defy all those who want to impose their wills on them. Ethiopia has not violated any international rules or principles except trying to protect its sovereignty. Africans are urged to rally behind this historic country, the avant-guard of pan africanism. Today it is Ethiopia; tomorrow who knows who will be next? We must beware of the domino effect!
BY FITSUM GETACHEW
The Ethiopian Herald 18 November 2021
