BY ADDISALEM MULAT
Ethiopians for almost years have been a victim of unwarranted foreign pressure that aimed at interfering in the internal affairs of the country and imposing external interests. For the sake of truth, Ethiopia’s enemies and special group interests have been at all hours of the day and night making a supreme effort to encroach on the sovereignty of the nation by orchestrating many conspiracies going behind closed curtains.
As a matter of fact, in the course of the conflict that rocked the northern part of the country for two solid years, Ethiopians has been fighting a proxy war against the domineering strategies of the modern-day imperialists. However, in the fullness of time all their endeavors proved to no avail.
In the aftermath of the unwavering stance of the incumbent and the people of Ethiopia, the country managed to foil a diverse range of barefaced political pressure in tandem with other even-minded nations worldwide. On the grounds of this, they ended up making history at the earliest possible time with Ethiopia’s allies residing in all parts of the world.
In good truth, in the course of the war, they have made history in harmony with Ethiopia’s friends residing throughout the entire world. It should be borne in mind that the #No More Global Movement stole the attention of Africans and foreign nationals despite the challenges were not as easy as taking candy from a baby and falling off a log.
It would not be an exaggeration to say, quite a lot of Africans have stood in solidarity with Ethiopians to ward off unwarranted pressure for good and all as per the fact that the movement turned out to be the benchmark of the anti-imperialism struggle by turning aside the continuous external pressure and interference. It must be remembered that in the course of the conflict Ethiopians at home and abroad left no stone unturned to protect the sovereignty of the country by stand together.
At that specific point in time, a broad spectrum of nations from South Africa, Somalia, Kenya, and other parts of the world have stood by the side of the government to forestall external pressure by taking part in a wide range of campaigns. Apart from demonstrating their solidarity with Ethiopia in the struggle against the snooping of external forces, they have been on several occasions signifying their companionship with Ethiopians.
They tried every possible course to make evident their fellowship with Ethiopia in its struggle against the meddling of foreign powers. In point of fact, the move taken by Ethiopians in fending off external pressure has received much appreciation from various nations worldwide at the earliest possible moment.
It appears clear that on the heels of the conspiracies of some foreign entities in Ethiopia, the country has passed through twists and turns. No matter what the challenges, Ethiopia embarked on harvesting the fruits of accomplishment in restoring peace and tranquility in the length and breadth of the northern part of the country.
For the sake of truth, in the course of the war, Ethiopia has proved the fact that it is an emblem of liberation conquering external pressure that emanates from diverse interests. Added to that colonialists have been going to the ends of the earth to knock off the balance of the country and making the continent of Africa dependent on them.
In this regard, it is worth mentioning that Ethiopian Diasporas have played a huge role in thwarting external pressure by working in close collaboration with friends of Ethiopia.
They have as well played a paramount role in taking part in several campaigns prepared to forestall external pressure and defend the country’s interest in an extensive range of international platforms.
Speaking of which, the #No More movements campaign has won the hearts and minds of the wider international community in addition to giving valuable lessons to other nations worldwide to follow suit. Honestly speaking, some of the discredited international media outlets have been time and time again mystifying the whole world with their usual bogus stories. However, the firm stance of the government ended up foiling the conspiracies of Ethiopia’s adversaries making an attempt to dismantle the country and accomplish their concealed motives.
Ethiopian Diasporas have been standing up for their home nation to fend of external pressure and now are engaged in supporting the implementation of the peace deal signed in Pretoria. The Diaspora community has served as Ethiopia’s soft power in influencing the political decision-making of their country of residence for the benefit of the homeland in 2022, the Ethiopian Diaspora Service (EDS) said.
EDS Communication Director Wondwosen Girma told The Ethiopian Herald that during the just concluded year, the participation of the Diaspora community in the national issues back home was so immense. The Diaspora played a unique role in making the voice of their home country be heard at the international level and serving it as a bridge with the outside world.
Most importantly, Ethiopians in the Diaspora have staged numerous demonstrations in major cities across the globe and denounced the undue pressure some interest groups exerted in their home country. Accordingly, over 70 public rallies were held in 40 global cities in which hundreds of thousands of Ethiopian Diasporas participated.
The director further noted that the Diaspora launched the #No More movement to protest some interest groups’ unwarranted attempts to meddle in Ethiopia’s domestic affairs and to show solidarity with the government. Besides rallies, the Diaspora community has been aggressively participating in public diplomacy activities in their countries of residence.
“The Diaspora community from all walks of life demonstrated overwhelming participation in public rallies, discussion with political representatives, sent petition letters and other forms of campaigns to fight the unfair pressure.”
Apart from informing the global community about Ethiopia’s sovereign right to solve internal problems on its own, the Diasporas have also done commendable jobs in refuting the coordinated media lies and disinformation campaign.
Commenting on the issue, Dejen Ras, a writer who published several articles in The Ethiopian Herald, stated that the disinformation against Ethiopia and its people in 2022 mainly focused on breaking down the unity among the people, Diaspora, and leadership. It was optimized by the #No More Movement. The momentum created had much effect beyond the borders of the country and resonated across the African continent into the world.
“Hence, the country’s enemies designed a strategy to break the unity; we started to see a huge rift among the Diaspora even in the first quarter of 2022. By that time, the leadership had also followed a calculated move that they thought was crucial to bring an end to the country’s multiple, coupled, and intense problems. That too created division among the defenders of disinformation against the country.”
Those who create disinformation have penetrated every diaspora group around the middle of the year. They used the different events in the country as a showcase for each diaspora group to go its way instead of staying unified against every situation, circumstance, and adversity. Robust systems that could synchronize the diaspora were not in place ahead to resist such forces of distraction.
For his part, Ethiopian American Civic Council (EACC) Political Strategist, Asqual Teferi, said most of the Ethiopian Diaspora living in the United States of America are very enthusiastic about the peace agreement.
The peace agreement and the ongoing implementation process is a step towards peace and the Ethiopian Diaspora is enthusiastically looking forward to reconstruction, she added.
According to a local media report the recent visit of government officials led by House of People’s Representatives Speaker Tagesse Chafo to Mekelle is a really exciting event, Asqual said.
“We all deserve peace, she noted, adding that giving peace a chance is an admirable step.”
Asqual further noted that since war has a cascading and long-lasting effect on a country, most Ethiopian Diaspora in the US want to galvanize support for the peace agreement and its implementation.
Peace and reconciliation allow us to focus on the reconstruction and the rehabilitation effort, the political strategist stated.
There are countries that have become successful in bringing peace and reconciliation, South Africa being one, she said, adding that we can mimic their success using our own culture, ways and understanding.
The Ethiopian Diaspora has played a very effective job during the war, Asqual pointed out, adding that the Ethiopian Diaspora is also now engaging itself in supporting the rehabilitation of war-torn places. The peace agreement will lend itself to galvanizing more support from the diaspora, including in the reconstruction and rehabilitation effort, she stressed. The Ethiopian Diaspora is very smart, strategic, and highly organized, according to the political strategist
The Ethiopian Herald 7 January 2023
