The last few months have been a dramatic turn for Ethiopia. From some biased international news outlets’ perspectives, good news was in short supply in the country.
The series and turn of events that took place in the past few months in the country however laid bare the travesty of justice being passed against the country and handed over the nation a diplomatic triumph against all odds. Particularly, the peaceful and successful hosting of the African Union’s 35th summit marked a sharp contrast to the media’s depiction of the country.
In fact, the continent’s biggest gathering came amidst unwarranted foreign pressure in connection with the situation in the northern part of Ethiopia. In addition to the travesty of the media, the country has been fighting the collusion of internal and foreign adversaries supported by high media propaganda for quite a while now. Ethiopia has also been wrongly and intentionally flagged as an ‘unstable and unsecured’ country.
Vividly, some of the labeling and naming of the country have to do with political intrigues and farfetched objectives. Rather defamatory and fake stories have been echoed by some discredited media outlets regarding the security of the country.
Months back, some foreign missions in Addis Ababa and their partners in propaganda have been claiming that Addis Ababa would fall to the terrorist groups and that it would enter into turmoil. Some countries even ordered their nationals to leave the city.
But, the propaganda was cut short and the lies were overturned as truth championed over falsehoods. Since war broke out in the northern part of the country, the international community has been tricked into putting pressure on the government of Ethiopia by the stooges of the terrorist group, paid activists, and the now low-rated media outlets.
The tsunami of misinformation coming from both the media and foreign missions in the country was laid bare following the series of events that took place in the country. The events have brought a huge and embarrassing blow to those who have been engaged in the false spread of information.
No media propaganda and force was able to cast a shadow over the events in which the country effectively hosted one after the other. From the Timket celebration to Great Run to the African Union summit, the country has peacefully and efficiently organized outdoor and indoor events without any security threats.
This success handed over shameful defeats to naysayers and laid bare the fake news that have been directed against the country. The events also showed Ethiopia’s capacity to host big happenings. Nor did only the events disprove the lies; they also attested Ethiopia’s endurance and strength in withstanding foreign pressure and turning calamity into an opportunity.
The colorful and peaceful events foiled the disinformation campaign waged against the country by some foreign entities and media outlets. To the dismay of the propaganda machines, foreign nationals have been curiously attending some of the events clearly disproving the propaganda of their media outlets. Besides giving a humiliating blow to the untrustworthy media organizations that toiled so much to destabilize Ethiopia, the hosting of the summit marks also a big diplomatic victory for Ethiopia.
It is a victory in the sense that there were some forces that have been against physically hosting it in Addis and the pretext of instability in Ethiopia has been defeated.
On the other hand, the successful conduct of the 35th Ordinary Session of the AU Assembly portrayed the world that Ethiopia has returned to normalcy. The successful completion of the Summit is also the end effect of peace and stability and the event confirmed Ethiopia’s regaining of peaceful life, three months onwards, said International Relations and International Mass Media Expert Prof. Brook Hailu.
The effective handling of the Summit in Addis has won the nation a great political victory. Earlier, some Embassies in the city frequently-issued travel advisories and warnings to their citizens in connection with the situation in the country.
Defying all these adverse notices, Ethiopia hosted the continental Summit without issue thereby boosting its credibility among the global community.
The successful conduct of the grand event has also enabled the country to repulse the coordinated and well-funded smear campaigns of the Western media. Moreover, it is an assurance of the federal government’s capability to ensure law and order in the country. The reputable academician particularly praised the commitment and principled stance of African leaders that decided to gather in their political capital.
The situation attested to the confidence and trust African leaders and the international community gives to the Ethiopian government and its security apparatus. Apart from their confidence in Ethiopia’s peace and stability, the great attendance of African leaders showcased the emphasis they attached to the Summit agenda in particular the pursuit of securing a permanent representation in the United Nations Security Council, Brook noted.
The AU summit held under the theme, “Building resilience in nutrition on the African continent: Accelerate the human capital, social and economic development” also helped strengthen the country’s diplomatic relations with African countries.
The successful conduct of the 35th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the Heads of State and Government of the African Union (AU) in Addis Ababa is a great diplomatic success for the hosting nation, the Government Communication Service (GCS) said following the conclusion of the gathering.
The AU summit was also an opportunity for Ethiopia to set the tone for Africa. Speaking at the occasion, Ethiopian Prime Minister Dr Abiy Ahmed called for a fair treatment of Africa in world stage. He argued that seven decades after the formation of the United Nations, Africa remained a junior partner without meaningful input or role in the system of international governance, singling out the UN Security Council where Africa lacks representation, and called for reform of the UN to reflect current global realities with equitable representation. He reiterated collective advocacy in accordance with the Ezulwini Consensus for Africa to have no less than two permanent seats and five
non-permanent seats in the UN Security Council. On peace and security, the Prime Minister said his country’s challenge over the past year was internal in nature and was about maintenance of law and order. He said external actors made the resolution of the internal matters difficult.
He thanked other Heads of State and Government for their “support, solidarity and understanding” as the country went through trying times and informed them that his government had launched an inclusive national dialogue platform with formal legislation. He further committed to pursuing lasting and durable peace in the country.
Despite the successful events, some media outlets have continued to spread fake information regarding the country while turning a blind eye on the good things happing in the country. For over a year, Ethiopia has been a victim of unfair treatment at the hands of some irresponsible media outlets.
In fact, since war broke out in the northern part of the country, the international community has been tricked into putting unjustified pressure on the government of Ethiopia by the stooges of the terrorist group, paid activists, and the now low-rated media outlets.
Though the fake media reports have failed, the incident ruined the image of Ethiopia by feeding false information about the country. This is the right time and an opportunity for the media and their paid masters to learn from past mistakes and report nothing but the truth.
It should also be noted that the relations between Ethiopia and some countries might have been damaged due to reckless media reports and misguided foreign policies.
These countries need to reassess their policies and play a constructive role by helping Ethiopia achieve lasting peace and stability.
BY DESTA GEBREHIWOT
The Ethiopian Herald 15 February 2022
