BY FITSUM GETACHEW
Ethiopians cannot say they have been fortunate during the past several decades because the country was subjected to various forms of conflicts and wars that have claimed thousands of lives along the years. Even if many say that wars are part of human history and wherever there are humans there are wars and Ethiopian history has been characterized by various forms of conflicts, it should be time now to come out of such cycles of violence.
During the military dictatorship there were various forms of conflicts domestically that is amongst us because there were various conflicting ideologies and political parties or factions that had declared war against each other and the military government’s stance was categorical and it believed in force. It demanded submission to its ideology and policies and any one which opposed the stance of the military was doomed and some sort of war was declared against those. But there were also alarming episodes of violence against organized political parties which had declared war against the military government. Hence there were what were called liberation forces that presented a huge challenge to the military establishment and Ethiopians had to be part of this sad development.
In the mid seventies there was the war waged by Somalia against Ethiopia and that was a critical moment in our history because the danger was grave as the military might of Somalia seemed very considerable as they were also preparing for this event their whole life where as Ethiopians were at loggerheads amongst themselves and had committed most of the armed forces to fight the rebellion in the north and other parts of the country. There were also various kinds of insurgencies even in other parts of the country opposing the military government. Hence there was an atmosphere of constant mobilization for war and Ethiopians were once again called in defense of their sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Wars have always been a part of countries’ history and we can hardly find a country that has not been involved in some kind of war for years. Europe has been at war for years especially during the two world wars and the losses have been staggering but now having learnt from those lessons they have no more appetite for outright wars even if their troops may been seen in some military operations in support of this country or that one or typically against international terrorism.
Ethiopia lived in various kinds of wars along the years and we do not remember total peace for decades. Somehow we have the mobilization of the military in specific missions and the government continues to build up a modern and well equipped and trained military to foil any potential threat that may come from both internal forces possibly supported or encouraged by foreign elements or foreign forces who have geopolitical interests around the Horn of Africa. Ethiopia’s position in the Horn of Africa and the birth place of the Nile River makes it a significant country that needs to be always ready to defend itself, and building a modern army discourage others from attempting to invade it or somehow get involved in insurgencies that are still threats for the security of the country.
Now that there has been fixed an agreement between the TPLF and the Ethiopian Federal government we might feel some relief that the guns are silenced and peace can be a true reality. But many experts do not believe that it is not so easy to completely rule out a possible reigniting of violence as there are several forces who oppose the Pretoria peace deal claiming that they were not represented and hence would continue to oppose the deal. These forces are war traders as the Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has called them. They have vested interests in the continuation of hostilities among the TPLF and the federal government because they have economic interests. Either because they are involved in some sort of arms deals or productions of the same or because they raise funds here and there and take advantage of the hostilities talking about the casualties or those that could result as wounded. They could also be agents of alien forces that continue to sustain them financially and the end of the war could be a failure to their profession or ambitions of getting rich soon.
Ethiopians must now realize that they should not be victims of alien conspiracies and destroy their livelihoods not only of today’s but also the future lives of their children and grandchildren. Ethiopia is a poor country that is struggling to attain some growth and be able to do away with foreign aid, foreign grants and concessions because such needs have implications on its sovereignty and independence. Countries do not give aid without somehow intervening in the internal affairs of the country and this goes against the psyche and history of the country. We have heard many times that the west’s assistance to Ethiopia has always had strings attached to it. Their policy is we will give you assistance but you must do this or that and in some way they impose on us their values and philosophies which at times do not go with our customs and mores. For instance the way they understand human rights is quite inconceivable for our values and it is hard for any Ethiopian to abide by certain rules of theirs. Our freedom is often compromised by such assistance because they also want us to align with them on certain international issues. This means that Ethiopia cannot be expected to have its own international policies and this is hardly acceptable.
The Pretoria peace deal has silenced the guns in the north of the country and even if there are certain details to be fixed and implemented they may need some patience and time, we must also be careful from letting those who oppose the deal from taking the upper hand and bring us back to zero. The chief broker of this peace deal former Nigerian President Olesegun Obasanjo has expressed his worries stating that the implementation must be carried out with patience, dexterity and honesty because we must be cautious not to ruin everything because of a simple nuance. There must always be flexibility in any peace deal without being stubborn and totally rigid. The big picture must be seen always and the benefits definitely always outweigh the potential losses. Ethiopians are tired of conflicts and combats. Above all they cannot afford to continue to kill each other indefinitely and whatever the costs they must stop wars and decide to live in peace. Millions have already been disastrously affected by the two year long war in the north. The cost of the war has yet to be reckoned but one can imagine that it is enormous, way above what a country like Ethiopia can afford. No one of the two warring parties would benefit with continued violence. Hence the peace deal is definitely a huge success but it needs to come down to earth and facilitate reconstruction and rehabilitation of the displaced in earnest and without any distraction.
If Ethiopians unite and stand together for hard work, there are hopes that the reconstruction and rehabilitation could be realized in a relatively shorter period than many feared would take. But it should be done in total unity without any faction or force opposing or obstructing it. It is a massive operation and needs a sort of Marshal Plan that reconstructed a destroyed Europe after the Second World War.
Insurgents not only in Tigray but also other parts of the country must stop from distracting the federal government from doing its job of mobilizing resources and staff to launch reconstruction of what was destroyed during the two year war. Forces such as Shene should also stop the violence and join the peace accord and let their people breath an atmosphere of peace rather than engaging in continuous attacks on innocent civilians and destruction of infrastructure. They should learn from the TPLF and sit down for serious peace talks because the Ethiopian government has repeatedly said that it is willing to negotiate based on the laws of the country. The only thing that is not negotiable is the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country and the constitutional order. That was how the agreement was reached with TPLF. A complete demobilization and disarming of the insurgents is also another condition for any peace agreement because this is part of the sovereignty of the country.
Ethiopians deserve peace after so many years of some sort of violence and hostilities that has always become a huge obstacle in its trajectory of development and growth. Ethiopians want to have a country that can exploit all its potential and be a developed country soon and not be at the receiving end of foreign aid or grants. That is why the recent deal must be applied and other peace deals must continue so that guns are silenced in every part of the country and citizens have total relief from threats of attacks and violence.
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD WEDNESDAY 23 NOVEMBER 2022
