BY SOLOMON DIBABA
Several days back, a high level delegation from the UN , EU and US composed of Hanna Tetteh, UN Undersecretary General and Special Envoy to the Horn of Africa, Anneta Weber, EU Special Representative for the Horn of Africa, Mike Hammer, US Special Envoy to the Horn of Africa, ambassadors of Canada, Italy, deputy head of mission of the UK travelled to Mekele upon an official permit of the Ethiopian Government to confer with Debretsion Gebremicahel and his team for an apparent discussion on matters related to peace negotiations with the Ethiopian Government and leaders of the terrorist group.
To the dismay of the Government of Ethiopia and any reasonable person with a stable state of mind, in its joint statement upon the conclusion of the visit, the team deliberately changed the agenda focusing on faster and smoother supply of food and medicaments for Tigray which has in fact being conducted with full and dedicated support from the Ethiopian Government. Instead of remaining appreciative of the efforts underway by the Ethiopian Government, the team chose to focus on activities that are in full swing to apparently discredit the government for its staunch support for the delivery of relief supplies to citizens in Tigray.
Responding to the Joint Statement issued by the team after their trip to Mekele, Redwan Hussien, Special Security Advisor to the Prime Minister, twitted on August 5, 2022 noting; “Debriefed with IC expressing Government dismay at course chosen by team of envoys and Ambassadors in handling the matter when in Mekele.They failed to press for unequivocal commitment for peace talks, rather indulging in appeasement and fulfilling preconditions placed by the other party. Regarding the restoration of services the will of the Government has been reaffirmed and preludes for that has been reiterated creating enabling conditions and semblance of peace by beginning the talks.”
Redwan added “The Joint Statement has recourse to the saga of “unfettered humanitarian access” which has already been long addressed. No limit on the number of flights, none either on the number of trucks carrying aid. The issue of fuel has already been addressed and hailed by all. The bottom line? The AU is the only channel and has been reiterated in no uncertain terms ones again”
The point here is why the international team failed to press the terrorist organization to immediately come to the negotiating table and why did they chose to focus on the preconditions that the terrorist group has already tabled while they should have focused on the importance and immediate convocation of the peace talks?
The team focused on issues that have already been addressed for several reasons. In the first place, in similar position with the terrorist organization, they wanted to buy time for terrorist TPLF as if the preparation it has made for 9 months now is not enough. Some of the team members chose to pose for selfies as a token of apparent solidarity with the terrorist organization and as a memorabilia for their fruitless stay in Mekele.
The group of officials exhibited a double standard on the issue of negotiations in continuing to unnecessarily pressurize the government of Ethiopia on the tasks it has already accomplished in food faith and spirit of accountability and responsibility.
Western governments imposed sanctions on Ethiopia based on the very demands that the country has already accomplished. The government is already fully cooperating with UNHRC on its mission to investigate on possible human rights violation in the northern part of the country but still they failed to put the slightest pressure on the terrorist group in fact emboldening it to engage in another third round of war on the people of Ethiopia.
While the Government has repeatedly expressed its readiness to do everything for the sake of peace for the entire region, the western powers have never condemned the multiple sets of conspiracy and containment that some governments are conducting on Ethiopia.
Besides, when Al-Shabaab conducted its first ever battle on the restive border post of Ethiopia with Somalia, the west was indifferent and nonchalant. Besides, they have never put any pressure on the terrorist TPLF when it has been openly declaring to wage war on the people and government of Ethiopia this summer. Terrorist TPLF is indeed the spoiled child of the west right from the beginning of its formation 49 years ago and combining to power in Ethiopia 30 years back.
In its earlier report on the gross violation of human rights by the terrorist group, the Amhara Regional Government disclosed that the terrorist vandals conducted rape on 1,794 women by order from the military leaders of the terrorist group out of which 47 were infected with HIV virus.
Editor’s Note: The views entertained in this article do not necessarily reflect the stance of The Ethiopian Herald
The Ethiopian Herald August 9/2022
