• Premier called on Sudanese to maintain peace, dignity
ADDIS ABABA – Saudi Arabia expressed admiration to Ethiopia for its positive role in mediating the Sudanese Transitional Military Council and the Forces for Freedom and Change to reach consensus.
The Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman yesterday telephoned Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed. The Crown Prince expressed his appreciation for the role played by Ethiopia in bringing the Sudanese parties together, according to Saudi Press Agency. He also stated Saudi Arabia’s support for all efforts that contribute to the security and stability of the region.
The parties signed the final power-sharing deal in Khartoum on Saturday where Prime Minister Abiy presided over the signing of the deal that happened after series of efforts by Ethiopia and the African Union (AU). On the occasion, Abiy called on the new civilian government and the people of Sudan to be the custodians of peace and the guardians of dignity to protect the sacrifice paid to achieve the deal.
All Sudanese should not let this achievement overshadow the handwork that awaits them as they have already begun the path to democracy, he said. Many seek and speak of democracy but seldom grasp the responsibility that comes with it. Building and functioning democracy requires a clear and steady commitment to articulating and living democratic principle by which all will be governed, according to Abiy.
Ethiopian government has been committing itself over the past few months in supporting a peaceful transition in Sudan with a genuine interest, Abiy said. As to him, reaching consensus is laborious which requires both emotional and technical intelligence and demands patience. Withstanding minor temporary setbacks, the Sudanese led dialogue process births a civilian government which will be remembered throughout history as an embodiment of the often stated but not always practiced principles of homegrown solutions in the continent, he stated.
“In our resolve to conceptualize and realize homegrown solutions, we demonstrate to ourselves our potential and clear propensity to manifest regional peace.” To solve the problems we are always the beacon lighting our way to our greater potential for harmony. The people and government of Ethiopia celebrate the agreement as their own victory, he stated.
The relationship between the two countries surpassing many years had been firmly rooted in mutually respect and solidarity, Abiy said adding it lays up on undeclared understanding that our fates are intertwined and extended beyond mere neighborliness the historic relations that our countries have enjoyed.
The current socioeconomic cooperation and diplomatic ties and the shared future are the three key pillars upon which a continuously strengthened relationship between Ethiopia and Sudan are built.
The essence of the people in the Horn region has always been cooperation over competition. And inherent to the collective survival and prosperity of the people is Medemer (synergy). “The synergistic yarn waving us together to create collectively what we can only imagine individually,” Abiy capitalized.
According to him, the Horn people are placing a firm foundation for regional economic, social and political integration simultaneously as they work at the national level to bring peace and stability by installing the principles and mechanisms of democracy.
He underlined that the survival in the generation to come is depending on making a paradigm shift beyond the artificial boundaries that have drawn on our maps and in our minds of the people in the region.
The paradigm shift entails examining how the people view and relate one another from competition to the original sense of cooperation, from dichotomous thinking and zero sum fragmentation to harmony and amalgamation recognizing that there is strength in unity, as to the premier.
Abiy has applauded the two parties for reaching consensus and all mediators to their positive role. He also specifically admired Ambassador Mohamoud Dirir who has been playing significant role in the mediation process on behalf of the Ethiopian government and Mohammed el-Hassan Labat (Prof.) of the AU special envoy. After completing his visit to Sudan, Prime Minister Abiy returned home with over 100 Ethiopian migrants who were victims of human-trafficking.
The Ethiopian Herald, August 20/2019
BY YOHANES JEMANEH
