BY ADDISALEM MULAT
The Pretoria peace deal is not only restoring hope among Ethiopians who have been the direct victim of the two-year-old war in Ethiopia, but it is also sending positive news to the Horn of African region and beyond. In fact, it is in the best interest of the Horn of African region to have a stable and unified Ethiopia since the country has been a major stabilizing force in the volatile location.
The AU-brokered peace accord is praised for being the product of African wisdom and leadership. It is perhaps, for this reason, that on the heels of the cessation of hostilities agreement various nations worldwide have been expressing their acclamation. Among the top are Horn African countries.
In an interview with The Ethiopian Heard Ambassador of Somaliland to the Federal Republic of Ethiopia Mohamed Ahmed Mohamoud (Awad) said that the cessation-of-hostilities agreement signed between the Federal government and the Tigray People Liberation Front (TPLF) in Pretoria, South Africa would beyond a shadow of a doubt be of paramount importance in ensuring peace and tranquility in every corner of the country. It is also living proof of Africa’s capability to get to the bottom of African problems without third parties’ involvement.
The accord is supposed to smooth the path of peace to reign not only in the country but also in the volatile Horn of Africa Region at the earliest possible. The government of Ethiopia has made the right decision at the right time in consideration of the fact that the cessation-of-hostilities agreement helps take the country to the next level in every aspect of development and serves as the nucleus and powerhouse of peace, security, and development to the Horn of Africa.
Aside from making Africa proud the peace deal that was held in Pretoria under the auspicious of the African Union putting the catchall phrase “African solutions to African problems” in place ended up bearing fruits as swiftly as possible. It will also help the country paves the way for restoring social infrastructure that has been damaged in the course of the war.
Honestly speaking, as regional integration cannot be accomplished in the absence of peace, the positive achievements taken by the federal government deserve praise, respect, and admiration. More to the point, the peace accord demonstrates Ethiopia’s firm stance and African capacity to bring about a prompt solution utilizing Africa’s values and principles and AU’s Transitional Justice Policy Framework.
In addition to breathing new life into the overall development activities of the country, the peace accord helps achieve lasting serenity in the Horn of Africa and beyond. Peace in Ethiopia is crucial to move forward and realize the process of regional integration, South Sudanese Ambassador to Ethiopia James Pitia Morgan said.
In an exclusive interview with ENA, South Sudan Ambassador James Morgan noted that South Sudan is pleased to welcome the recent peace deal reached between the Government of Ethiopia and TPLF. The ambassador noted that South Sudan expressed its concern right after the beginning of the crisis in November 2020, stressing the peace agreement has far-reaching implications beyond Ethiopia.
“We are talking about peace, this is very important for all of us. It is not only for Ethiopia, TPLF, and not for anybody else, but it is a very good thing for the nation of Ethiopia as a whole and the neighboring countries, Africa, and the international community as a whole,” he said. He explained that in all of the neighboring countries of Ethiopia and the African continent as a whole—there is nobody who was not really calling for peace because Ethiopia is a model.
“When Ethiopia is not peaceful, the entire region is affected; we don’t feel comfortable about it. Ethiopia has a very bigger role to play in this region. The role of Ethiopia in this region is more important than the internal crisis that took place over the past two years because the region could not move forward in its regional integration process which is supposed to be spearheaded by Ethiopia,” he added.
The peace talk was mediated by the former president of Nigeria and that alone tells us it was an African solution to African problems, the ambassador noted. This is what we have been saying all the time that African problems can find solutions within the context of the African, he said, lauding: “I think that is very important that the African Union is able to spearhead this peace talks and brought into conclusion.”
The ambassador commended and welcomed some of Ethiopia’s friends beyond Africa who helped the peace talks to bear fruit. “We want peace in Ethiopia so that we move forward. With the issue of regional integration, the continent was also concerned with the crisis in Ethiopia because we have agenda 2063 ahead of us and this agenda cannot be achieved unless this continent itself is peaceful. That is why the African Union, the region, our region in IGAD, the continent as a whole, and the international community in general, everybody, were concerned,” the ambassador pointed out.
He stressed that following this development, the ambassador expressed hope that a lot of support would come from friendly countries and the international community to support the people and government of Ethiopia in restoring basic services to people who are affected by the conflict.
The peace agreement signed by the Ethiopian government and TPLF is as a major step towards lasting peace and stability in Ethiopia and the Horn of Africa, said the Japanese ambassador to Ethiopia. Besides the Horn of African countries, other nations have lauded the peace deal and expressed hope and pledged support. Among them is Japan.
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to Ethiopia Takako Ito told The Ethiopian Herald that the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement (CoHA) signed between the federal government of Ethiopia and TPLF is highly welcomed by the Japanese government. She said: “We welcome the initiative and highly appreciate the effort made by the parties as it is a very important initial step to have peace and stability not only in Ethiopia but also in the surrounding countries.”
The bilateral relationship between Ethiopia and Japan is growing steadily and the two countries shared many things in common. Both sides have been enjoying old-aged diplomatic relations and working together in different sectors ranging from economy, social, political, and other areas of mutual concern, she added.
She further stated that the agreement is important and faithfully implemented by the concerned bodies. Likewise, Japan will continue working with Ethiopia in ensuring lasting peace and stability in the country and beyond.
“In order to reconstruct the conflict-affected part of the country, the availability of extended hand from the international community, establishment of democracy and human right is a basic foundation for the reconstruction process and future development in the country,” she noted.
Meanwhile, presenting a paper on ‘Japanese diplomacy in a turbulent world’ by former Japanese Ambassador to the UK and Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan Ambassador Koji Tsuruoka on his part yesterday indicated that the two countries, Ethiopia and Japan, shared many things in commonalities.
Ethiopia is the only country in the continent that maintains its sovereignty and territorial integrity during that tough time of superpowers’ colonization. Like Ethiopia, Japan has passed through difficulties ranging from external invasion, civil war, and others which pulled back Japanese development coupled with other pressures, he stated.
The Ethiopian Herald December 6/2022
