BY ZEKARIAS WOLDEMARIAM
Ambassador Teshome Toga is Commissioner of the National Rehabilitation Commission. The commission is established by the federal government to carry out rehabilitation works as a post conflict activities throughout the country, especially in the Northern part where the conflict had its toll during the last couple of years.
Ethiopian Press Agency has interviewed him recently on the progress of the commission’s activities so far. Have a nice read!
What is the reason for establishing the National Rehabilitation Commission? What are the missions?
It is known that the Ethiopian government and the TPLF have signed a peace agreement in Pretoria, South Africa to bring lasting peace to the country. The agreement includes many things, like the disarmament of former TPLF fighters; gathering them to a center and training them to join the society. This is done to ensure that these citizens lead a peaceful, healthy and productive life.
As you know, disarmament has been done twice before; this is the third round. Although this work involves the participation of various institutions, it is believed that one institution is needed to lead it properly, so a National Reform Commission was established according to the decision of the Council of Ministers.
The Commission has three distinct missions; one of them, as I said earlier, is to reintegrate ex-combatants into the community. The commission has been given the responsibility of customizing a system to make them a force for democracy and development. For this, first of all, the work of disarmament will be carried out continuously, and at the same time, the work of bringing fighters into one center will be done.
By the way, ours and similar institutions were established to solve temporary problems, not permanent ones. They will be dissolved upon completion of their mission or task. We have also been given two years. Although the reason for the establishment of the commission is following the agreement reached by the government with the TPLF, this mission has been nationalized because there are disarmed ex-army members in other parts of the country during the discussions held by the Council of Ministers.
This means there are ex-combatants from Tigray, Amhara, Afar, Benishangul Gumuz, Southern Nations region and Gambella area. Therefore, if this work is done, an agreement has been reached by the Council of Ministers that it should not be confined to one area, but nationalized. Therefore, the mission of the commission is national and covers all regions.
The main thing that we are required to do is to make the ex-combatants return to peace. To do this, the first task should be disarmament. Since they are involved in the war, they are required to disarm first. This is part of the Pretoria Agreement. This work is being done well by the defense forces, not by us. In addition, there is a monitoring and control group of the African Union that monitors this work. This group is doing this work in the area.
Recently, when I went to Mekele, I met the general who leads this group and we discussed that the work is progressing smoothly and that they are happy with it. They told me that they have not faced any major obstacles so far. Next, we will bring ex-combatants to a center and give them training.
The government is working to gather support through the commission to enable these ex-combatants to join the society and lead a peaceful life. Even in the future, if there are any political differences and if other problems arise, we will solve our problems in a civilized and peaceful way. We provide training that will help them to follow the method of solving through discussion. We are gathering experience for this. The purpose of our establishment to answer the question in general is because it is part of the peace agreement.
The main purpose of going to Mekele is to do the work of the commission that we have started and to do the work of disarmament and rehabilitation in general since there are more ex-combatants there than in other areas and there is a lot to expect. We went with two agendas; one is to raise awareness of the importance of lasting peace in our country by showing what the experience of other countries is about disarmament.
The second is to make the work of the institution clear. We have made the relevant federal and state bodies participate in the forum. Among the issues raised by the people is mainly the question of disarming the fighters and reintegrating them into the society.
To do this, as I said before, it is expected that there will be limited capacity. However, I think that our stay in Mekele has achieved certain things. First, after the peace agreement, a national forum was organized for the first time. This conveys a message that there is a condition to carry out such programs.
Second, the fact that more than two hundred people went there and held the forum successfully is an indication that the peace agreement is being implemented. This means that the trust between the Ethiopian government and the TPLF is growing. In general, it was a successful platform in terms of our plan.
How effective is the process of disarming ex-combatants? Especially given the timing?
As I mentioned before, it is the defense forces that does this job. There is an African Union team tasked with monitoring this work. According to the information we got from both of them, the disarmament of heavy weapons was done successfully. After this work was done, the equipment was taken over by the Ministry of National Defense. In addition, individual disarmament has begun; and this work is going well.
The peace agreement is not only this, but it contains many other things that should go along with it. We do not believe that everyone is going by the time limit we have set. There are many reasons for this. It was not done during the so-called temporary government of Tigray that was established recently. It requires a thorough discussion.
And there were many arguments; and after all that, it took a long time to reach a consensus and establish a transitional government. This is not unexpected. As you know, it is not an easy matter. Therefore, there is a situation where the schedule may not go as we thought or wanted.
For example, after disarming the fighters, we should be able to work together with the administration there to gather them in one center. There are people who used to lead the army. And they were organized as an institution. Therefore, the work of gathering the army into one center is a matter that should be done with the body there and the federal institutions, especially with the national defense army. In this process, you may encounter situations that do not allow you to go at the desired speed.
Basically, many other countries went through the same process. If we take South Sudan as an example, it has been a long time. I think it’s best not to take it too late as ours is probably a matter of months. Because the challenges are not easy. Therefore, to overcome that challenge, it is necessary to take time to discuss and bring to a common point of view and thinking.
Anyway, it is better to say that the disarmament process is going well. After that, the work of consolidating into one center will continue. There are still some who entered certain camps. When we went to Mekele, our team came to see them and talk to them. Together with the now established transitional government, we will work together to disarm the rest of the army and bring it to the center.
Could you please explain to us what is being done to ensure that the members of the society who were involved can benefit from development and democracy?
The commission cannot do it alone in order to bring the war-affected areas back to peaceful life. It requires the participation of many bodies, including other regional and federal institutions. The experience of many countries in disarming ex-combatants and relocating them to one center and successfully carrying out rehabilitation activities has called for the support of many parties.
Of course, the work is directed by the government. There is no question. Just as it implements other policies, the government owns and directs; this is why the National Reform Commission was established. Our role is coordination. There are also tasks that we do on our own. As an institution, we work with many entities. The government should play a leading role and the private sector should participate. Because we are all victims of war. We are the beneficiaries of peace. Also, civil societies should be able to participate.
Participation can be defined in different ways; Most of the rehabilitation works are not done only by the government. Our current situation is also known. Therefore, many rehabilitation works are carried out with the support of development partners. Our experience shows this.
External support can be technical support. For example, we are working with the United Nations Organization to bring them to the center. We have our own team. On the other hand, because we need international experience, we worked together with the United Nations Development Program. Therefore, technical support is required.
Above all, the money needed to establish it is very high. And since it is just coming out of the war, it is better to create the capacity to achieve that. Therefore, like any development, if this program is to be successful, the participation of foreign development partners, donor organizations, private sector, and civil society organizations is required.
Above all, this work is not only to reintegrate ex-combatants into the community, but the community is also supported to benefit from the program and become a community-based rehabilitation. Therefore, when the commission provides training it works with federal institutions and regional offices such as the Ministry of Peace, the Ministry of Employment and Skills and the Ministry of Health.
By the way, these institutions are members of the Council of the National Rehabilitation Commission. Therefore, there is a coordination mechanism in which other parties participate. We think that if all parties can do their part, we will do a successful restoration work.
In connection with this, is there anything intended for the citizens who suffered physical injuries in the war?
Yes; this means not only those in Tigray, but all around. Recently, we are interested in going to Amhara and Afar area as well. We are talking with the regions. Therefore, there are sections of the society who have been affected by that war and need special care.
There are women and children who have been taken out of school for the past two years and are forced to engage in war. It is necessary to connect them with the family and make them return to education. This is the question raised by the representatives of disabled people at that meeting. Next, we are preparing to gather information about what kind of support each disabled person needs. That information contains many issues and is an important part of the work we do. Temporary and permanent support will be given to the disabled depending on the extent of the damage.
What do you think is the significance of the establishment of a transitional government in the region?
There is no question that the peace agreement is of great benefit to the whole country. We have spent more than two years at war. A lot of damage has been done. It has made a great impact not only in the region but also in the neighboring regions and the country. Now we are doing a lot of reconstruction work with the help of the government.
There is work being done at the national level to get foreign support. This happened because the peace agreement was signed. If the agreement had not been signed, we would not be able to focus on the work of reconstruction and recovery of our economy. Above all, the cease-fire agreement itself has great significance for the arrival of lasting peace.
On the other hand, it is known that the TPLF signed the agreement with the Ethiopian government. Apart from this, we need a partner for any kind of peace agreement in Tigray. That is why the establishment of the transitional government is meaningful. Police can do security works. Defense forces can protect national borders.
Therefore, there is a need for a temporary administration in the region. And from the now established transitional government; the fact that the TPLF is a part of the work of the federal government and other bodies in terms of providing governmental services has its own great benefits.
Moreover, it is believed that the establishment of Tigray’s interim administration will be a great help to the success of the commission’s work. For example, we cannot do the work of disarming ex-combatants and bringing them to a center alone. A camp must be selected; Protection was needed and other work was expected to be done. For this reason, it is necessary to have local administration there. Without him, there is nothing we can do alone.
Regarding security, neither the federal nor the security institutions can be established in each area. Therefore, having interim administration is very important for our work. We are also thinking of establishing a branch office. We need the support of the regional administration to reach out to each ex-combatant and gather information to go down with the community.
From this point of view, what is expected from us is that we will implement the program needed for the work together. Just as the federal government participates, the regional administration is expected to play an important role. For example, if the farmer wants to return to his farm, he must work with the people of the regional agriculture office in that area. If there is someone who needs health care, we do not have health professionals; but health professionals should work together with the Minister of Health and the Regional Health Office.
Not only for this, but by fulfilling the peace agreement for the region to return to a peaceful state; it is important for the Transitional Government to enter into a situation where it is possible to enter into normal work like other regions. Without it, the peace agreement cannot be implemented or brought to a peaceful and normal state.
Of course, there is still a political risk that the peace agreement will not be properly implemented. We have concerns that the required funds may not be available. Apart from that, we don’t have much risk to move and work in the region. The mainstream society; ex-combatants; It is not expected that there will be many things to worry about because it is an issue that the interim administration and the federal government are interested in.
The main requirement is the availability of very high resources. If the resource is not available, what option should we follow? He is concerned. But as I said before, we did not just analyze the risk; what should we do to reduce the risk? We have made an analysis. After all, there is a belief that the risks can be avoided if all the concerned parties work together, as many experiences have shown.
What do you think is the transitional government expected to do next?
I think the first task of the transitional government should be to provide government services to the people in the region. It is necessary to maintain the security and peace of the region together with the federal security forces. Being a very damaged area, it should participate in reconstruction and development. As said, the transition period is intended for six months. In the midst of this, it should be possible to work together with the conditions of the regional elections.
These political, economic and social issues are the implementation of the rest of the peace agreements that we are considering now; it is necessary to be a partner with us in order to succeed in the reconstruction work that we intend to do in the region. Therefore, what is expected is to first manage the region temporarily; the main thing is to provide the services needed by the people.
For this, the civil service should return to work. Putting social and economic institutions into operation; in particular, children who have dropped out of school in every camp should be made to return to school. Basically, the economy of the region has been affected. Therefore, the support of the regional administration is crucial in the efforts made at the national level.
There is a police force working in the region to maintain the security of the region, but if there are issues that require more than that, it is necessary to work together with the law and security organ of the federal government. Above all, as the transitional government is working temporarily, it should be elected to work permanently in the regional council. There should be a government elected by the people. We expect that the federal government will implement this together with the Election Board.
Thank you very much!
You’re most welcome!
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD SATURDAY 8 APRIL 2023
