BY SOLOMON DIBABA
In order to facilitate a meaningful regional joint effort against terrorism the Government of Ethiopia continued to cooperate with national intelligence agencies of the countries of the Horn with the U.S. government on counter terrorism issues. The GOE passed significant amendments to the 2009 Antiterrorism Proclamation (ATP) that, inter alia, criminalizes certain terrorism-related offenses.
While terrorist activities have continued unabated in the Horn of Africa, the current conflict between the warring parties in Sudan certainly deserves urgent attention and peaceful resolution of the conflict as the chaotic war situation in the country could create a safe haven for the proliferation and expansion on international terrorism in Sudan as well as the rest of Africa.
Given the current conflict, Sudan has the potential for being used as a stepping stone to expand into the rest of Africa. That is why the Ethiopian Government , particularly Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has consistently urged the parties to resolve their problems on round table discussion to avoid any level of intervention into the internal affairs of the country.
Terrorists in the Horn pose as religious zealots but are in practice anti-religion and support no moral or ethical standards that are normally accepted in societies across the world. These groups use social media and related online internet facilities to propagate their views which are in most cases non-ideological trumpeting by their leaders who so often use video messages that need to be verified on the authenticity of the messages and video clippings.
Ethiopia is now the best example in Africa on how to resolve devastating conflicts in a manner that is of crucial importance for the country, peace and stability in the Horn of Africa. The ongoing effective implementation of the AU sponsored Agreement on Permanent Cessation of Hostilities signed between the Federal Government and the TPLF demonstrates that ensuring peace and stability through peace talks is the only viable and constructive way of resolving conflicts within the countries of the Horn and Africa at large. The Horn of Africa is already suffering from recurrent drought, food shortage and various types of pandemics that are exacerbating abject poverty and destitution in the region and cannot afford any level of conflict.
Ethiopia strives for peaceful development no only as the main foreign policy and diplomatic objectives of the country but also as the necessary strategy for its statehood and uninterrupted development pathway. The country is still urging for urgent AU led cooperation between the countries of the Horn and is calling for close political commitment by the leaders and political parties in the countries of the Horn. This must be prioritized by each country of the Horn so that terrorist groups in the Horn of Africa would not further pose threats that could expand far beyond the region into global scales.
Ethiopia is effectively engaged in the battle against terrorism primarily because peace, stability and harmonious social cohesion and unity is a major prerequisite for the socio-economic development of the country. On the other hand, Ethiopia is not only committed to the struggle against terrorism at the national level but also shoulders a huge shared responsibility for ascertaining that the Horn should be free from any form of terrorist activities.
The ever growing proliferation of cross border terrorism has a negative impact on Ethiopia because the country is engaged in expanded level of national reform program that requires a stable political situation. That is why the nation pays special attention to the issue as a major priority area for insuring national development program and the struggle to reduce abject poverty in the country.
Ethiopia is engaged in capacity building program for the countries of the Horn of Africa in the areas of providing trainings for the police and security forces of the countries in the context of a joint cooperation program with countries of the Horn in ensuring peace in the region. Ethiopia will therefore continue to strengthen its commitment in the battle against terrorism until peace is ensure in the Horn of Africa.
It must be clear that the possibility of terrorist attacks on Ethiopia as stated earlier could be boosted through ethnic based political radicalism that takes various forms including political assassinations, obstruction of transport networks, use differences in religious institutions to incite spontaneous mass uprisings the consequences of which could be utterly devastating.
Anti-government spontaneous mass rallies clandestinely organized by ultra-ethno-nationalists and activists not only disrupt normal public livelihoods in the country but are also geared towards manipulating the implementation of government economic and social development programs. One should also take into account the fact that terrorists may not necessarily operate in the traditional terrorist forms of attacks but could have their own recruits and listening posts in government and CSO operational structures.
Apart from formal approach against terrorist encroachments, public education on the subject of terrorism needs to be conducted at the grass root level particularly among the youth. Terrorist prone areas and sections of the population need to be identified through participatory researches that could be used for public awareness creation on the menace of local and global terrorism.
Editor’s Note: The views entertained in this article do not necessarily reflect the stance of The Ethiopian Herald
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD FRIDAY 12 MAY 2023
