The Futile Efforts of Ethiopia’s Detractors

(Adedai Gadissa 04/20/09)

It is to be recalled that Jonathan Tepperman’s article, “With a Friend Like This” (Newsweek of April 20, 2009) accuses Ethiopia of failing the US to bid its liking in its democratization process as well as in its actions against the Al-Qaeda led Somali extremists. Mr. Tepperman even claims that Ethiopia’s “US trained” military action against the threatening ICU in December 2006 was an “invasion” of Somalia. He also tries to make us believe that Ethiopia’s intervention has left a “devastated” Somalia and has “empowered” the radicals. In conclusion, he urges the US to push Ethiopia to democratize and to reconcile with Eritrea by withholding the one billion health and food aid assistance it provides to Ethiopia.

Let us examine the above fallacious and fabricated points one by one. The Ethiopian people’s struggle during Hailesellasie’s or the Dergue’s oppressive governments was to have a democratic government in which all Nations, Nationalities and Peoples in the country would be equally represented at the Federal level while having the freedom to administer themselves at regional and local levels. This has been achieved to great extent in the last 18 years not because the US wanted it or liked it but only because the Ethiopian people worked for it through the leadership of the EPRDF Government.

Ethiopia’s action against the ICU in Somalia was primarily based on the national security threat that the forces of ICU, Eritrea, and other elements posed against Ethiopia. Secondly, the then legitimate Transitional Federal Government of Somalia recognized by IGAD, the African Union and the United Nations invited the Ethiopian government for its assistance in its fight against ICU. P.M. Meles Zenawi repeatedly made it clear in 2006 that the US government was opposed against Ethiopia’s intervention in Somalia let alone to contribute a single cent to it either in training Ethiopian forces or providing any support for the mission. It should be clear to everyone that the US government does not provide any military aid to Ethiopia since the downfall of Hailesellasie’s government in 1974. The Ethiopian army broke the backbone of the extremist elements of the ICU and provided a chance for the moderates like President Sheik Sheriff and others who are trying to stabilize Somalia under difficult circumstances. Here, it should be clearly understood that if the International Community, including US government, would not have demanded the current Transitional Government to stabilize the country first before any assistance is provided to it, the present devastation, which Mr. Tepperman falsely and intentionally blame on Ethiopia’s intervention, could have been avoided long ago. One thing that Mr. Tepperman has correctly stated is the role of Eritrea in destabilizing Somalia by training and supplying arms to Al-Shebab and the pirates who are creating havoc in the region. Here, one should also understand that countries like Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and others are funneling their financial and material support through Eritrea for different reasons while the international community or the US is doing nothing about it. This has been fully documented by many UN reports on Somalia. Now that Al-Shebab and its naval wing pirates trained and armed by Eritrea have started to attack US ships and US delegations to Somalia, we might see some concerted action on the source of the problem and its coordinators.

On the issue of the US pushing Ethiopia to reconcile its conflict with Eritrea, I am sure Mr. Tepperman is fully aware of the efforts Ethiopia has been making to sit with Eritrea at any level and find ways to implement the decision of the EBBC peacefully once and for all based on international law and practice. But, he intentionally states that tiny Eritrea got its independence from the current EPRDF government. This is purely a fabrication because the whole world knows that EPLF and EPRDF cooperated in the fight of defeating the Dergue regime. The Current government of Ethiopia was the first to recognize Eritrea’s independence by writing to the UN despite the reservations of many African and other Western countries.

No border demarcation in world history has been implemented on the ground without both parties sitting down and agreeing where and how the pillars should be placed with genuine intention of achieving normalized relation between the adjacent peoples on both sides. This has been the practice in many countries that dealt with border demarcations and it cannot be any different between Ethiopia and Eritrea. Yet, this genuine effort of Ethiopia, which has been supported by the US, the UN, etc and had even assigned an expert consultant or envoy to assist in the process, has been scuttled by Eritrea’s refusal for the last nine years. Eritrea’s defiance of all UN Security Council decisions, its abrogation of the Algiers Agreement by chasing out UNMEE and dismantling the Temporary Security Zone created under the Agreement for demarcation to take place, its governments decision to effect regime change in Ethiopia before sitting to deal with the demarcation issue or normalization of relations, etc. are the real hurdles for reconciliation. Eritrea’s invasion of Djibouti has no relation with Ethio-Eritrea border issue, but has a lot to do with Eritrea’s belligerence to attack and then deny its crimes as usual.

In conclusion, one could ask why Mr. Tepperman, who has full knowledge of the above facts as a member of the Jewish Lobby Group in the US and strong connection to the US government in his professional capacity, is blaming Ethiopia for everything it has not done? My guess is, as a professional lobbyist, he is probably doing his job to influence the formulation of the Obama government policy on the Horn of Africa which is under discussion within the State Department. At the same time, he is probably informing policy makers of the US and other friendly countries that Tiny Eritrea should be allowed to defy international norms just to make happy the detractors of Ethiopia, which has started to be self assertive in its development and foreign policy relations. It might also be not to allow Ethiopia’s dominant role in the Horn of Africa due to its efforts to come out of poverty and at the same time to contribute to the peace and security of the sub-region. I can only inform Mr. Tepperman that his effort and that of others like him to detract Ethiopia’s single minded efforts to defeat poverty while assuring its national security is futile as its history attests.