By Petros Tesfagiorgis 06/10/09
Unfortunately the Horn of Africa in historical or geopolitical terms is a zone of perpetual conflict to which troubles are attracted as irresistibly as flies to sugar.
Prior to the overthrow of Military dictatorship of Ethiopia in 1991, the root cause of the conflict in the Horn was the repressive feudal system of Ethiopia.
From his seat in Addis Ababa, Shoa, the Amhara heart land, Emperor Menelik 11 built a strong feudal Empire by invading the South largely inhabited by the Oromo people. The Oromos which comprises the largest ethnic group in Ethiopia (40%) talk of millions of their people being killed in the invasion. The other nationalities such as the Sidamas and Tigreans were also marginalized and were subjected to oppression.
The expansionist policy inherited from Menelik had driven Emperor Haile Sellassie to claim Eritrea under federal arrangement in 1952 and then annexing it to Ethiopia in 1962. During the federation period and subsequent annexation the people of Eritrea was subjected to extreme repression.
In addition, the Emperor manipulated the incorporation of the Somali inhabited Ogaden in the East which gave rise not to the formation of ONLF (Ogaden National Liberation front) but also became the source of many years of conflict between Ethiopia and the Republic of Somalia. Like the Oromos and the Ogaden Somalis the people of Tigray also rose up in rebellion under the leadership of TPLF in reaction to the oppression they have been subjected. It is sometime mind boggling when Seye Abraha and Gebru Asrat were subjected to criticism of betraying Ethiopia by giving Eritrea its independence they don’t seem to explain that it was not true and that the Eritrean people fought for 30 years for their independence. Gebru Asrat did not hesitate to claim the Eritrean Port of Asab back in order to exonerate his Amhara critics mainly the CUD.
TPLF did not take up arms to liberate Eritrea. They took up arms so that the people of Tigrai could determine their future and bring economic and social development to Tigray. Like the Oromos and Ogaden Somalis they believed that it is by getting rid of the repressive feudal system and empowering the people that they can achieve social and economic advancement. These are the same objective why the Oromos, the Ogaden Somalis, the Sidams and other armed movement in Ethiopia took up arms.
In fact Ethiopia is known as a prison of Nationalities and many rose up and took arms to bring their oppression to an end. The Ethiopian feudal system has presented the oppressed nationalities with the challenge to stand up and fight. Therefore, the struggle by TPLF is the same as the other struggles the only difference is that it managed to build formidable strength and was able to play a leading role in defeating the huge army of dictator Mengistu and secure an upper hand in the New Government. This is a peace dividend of a logical victory of an armed movement that have sacrificed a lot in getting rid of a brutal tyranny Therefore, the focus of any attacks or criticism must be less on the ethnic background of the people in power and more on their agenda. Is their agenda transformational that would bring fundamental change in the society and economy of Ethiopia or just pure replacing the old system with new faces? Is the process of democracy beginning to take root?
Is the new Government working to end inequality, marginalization and subjugation? Is it addressing the chronic poverty and ignorance in Ethiopia? These are critical questions and a measuring stick of any government in Africa.
The Legacy of the various Liberation movements:
The Repressive feudal system of Haile Sellasie and the brutality of Colonel Mengistu presented a challenge to the most conscious people in the Empire particularly the intelligencia. These challenges gave rise to various insurgencies in the form of national liberation movements and failed coups. The major coup, which failed, was by the emperor’s Body Guards led by General Mengusti Neway in 1960. The movements were the OLF (Oromo Liberation Front), ELF (Eritrean Liberation Front), EPLF (Eritrean Peoples Liberation Front), and EPRA (Ethiopian Peoples Revolutionary Army). SLF (Sidama Liberation Front), TLF (Tigray Liberation Front), TPLF (Tigray Peoples Liberation front). ONLF (Ogaden National Liberation Front), EPRP (Ethiopian Peoples Revolutionary Party) and Meson.
The Haile Sellasie Progressive University students Rose up to the challenge as well.
In the late 60th Ethiopian University Students were extremely concerned of the poverty and lack of development that prevailed in Ethiopia.
They brought to the attention of the student body the grinding poverty and exploitation the Ethiopian people had endured through out their long history.
In exposing the Government, they started off with the slogan of” Land to the tiller”, around which they staged a well attended rallies. . The land of the Oromos was being appropriated by the invaders known as “Niftegnas”. The land holding system and the primitive way of tilling was a profoundly powerful factor that kept the people of Ethiopia in abject poverty. It also served them as a powerful weapon for rallying the Secondary School students in Addis Ababa and to create awareness among the residents of Addis Ababa. The other issue they used was famine, which killed over 2 million people in Wollo, Lasta and Tigray.
It is at these historical junctions that the right of self-determination up and including cessation of the oppressed people was debated based on the paper presented by Walelegn Mekonen, a martyr of the failed Ethiopian plane hijack. In these the Eritrean University Students saw a light at the end of the tunnel and participated in search of a solution to the misery of the people of Eritrea and Ethiopia. The activities cemented social bonds; it fostered trust among students with diverse cultures and languages.
All these peaceful struggles of the university students posed a threat to the feudal system of Emperor Haile Sellasie and took drastic action to stop it. The Government banned the student union and their mouth peace its newspaper.
Next, the security assassinated the president of the University Student Union Tilahun Gizaw.
By doing so the feudal oppressive system sowed the seeds of its own destruction. Many of the students would join the various liberation movements. Having common ideology of Marxism and Leninism and acquiring experience of struggling together in the student movement they became comrades in arms. The recognition of the struggle of the oppressed nationalities and the just cause of Eritrea had changed the nature of the all fronts dramatically. With the belief that any nationalities would have the right to self-determination up including secession there will be no need for wars in the future. Thus the liberation war was meant to end all wars. All the movements combined were able to match the power of the huge Ethiopian army and rendered hope, a bright future and sustainable peace. By their persistent struggle the liberation fronts would thus shape the destiny of the people of Ethiopia and Eritrea and it will have an impact in the rest of Africa, as the two countries were seen as an harbinger of African Renaissances.
History must not be forgotten that with the defeat of the tyrant Military Regime in 1991 the TPLF/EPRDF had invited all movements and political parties in Ethiopia to join in forming a representative government in July the same year in Addis Ababa/. Unfortunately the OLF withdrew after few years. But what is profoundly important is that a federal Government had been formed in Ethiopia in which the oppressed nationalities would be empowered and participate in policies that affects their day to day life. And most importantly they would have the choice to live within the Ethiopian present context as equal citizens or to opt out if their rights are not protected. The objectives of the Haile Sellasie progressive university students who have paid heavily have thus been immortalized by Article 39 of the Ethiopian Constitution. The martyrs of the Red Terror, the majority of whom were intellectuals and students, have been vindicated.
The government of Ethiopia in spite of the unfortunate and senseless war with Eritrea and interference in Somalis and various internal conflicts inherited from the predecessor governments adamantly persists in prioritizing policies that would transform the life of the ordinary people.
By any standard the economic and social progress in Ethiopia has been extraordinary. The Ethiopian farmers are put at the centre of development. They are provided by fertilizers, bank facilities and support services so they themselves change their life. . This is the best development policy. The government is building amazing network of roads hydroelectric power to connect modernize the whole country. It has created a conducive investment climate that saw the growth of the middle class who are the main engine of growth. Modern farms are also encouraged, flower farming is being flourished. The coffee export is being overtaken by export of flowers. The building human resources have become a priority without it no development would take place. Schools and Universities are widely spread
I met an Amhara friend of mine from the days of the Addis Ababa student movement a professional, an international civil servant, and best situated to analyse the present situation in Ethiopia. We were talking politics. I found him a critic of the Government of Meles Zenawi. But he said “However, I have to acknowledge the progress taking place in Ethiopia, A real development packages is taking place in Ethiopia not found anywhere else in Africa. I have travelled extensively in Africa and there is no comparison.” He said, “Ethiopia will never be the same it is been transformed beyond recognition. Ethiopia will be an emerging economy in no time.” I hope so but the global economic down turn would affect Ethiopia as well. Already the economic growth rate of 11.6% per annum has been reduced to 10% but this by itself is a remarkable achievement.
I was amazed to hear this acknowledgement and recognition from an Amhara elite and I asked him. Do you like the TPLF? He said, “No I don’t like them. They have the monopoly of power.”
He expects more power to be shared but he is conscious that the transformation is taking place in more fundamental way. On the other hand CUD (Kenijit) is totally blind of the transformation taking place in Ethiopia. This negative attitude can only be because of the privileges they lost as members of the ruling class. In history we find that the privileged mainstream societies do not have the same perception of history as the victimized once. The Amhara elite aspire for a centralized and controlling system that victimized the Oromos, the Ogadeni Somalis, and Tigreans or for that matter Eritreans. Had they realize these facts they would have played a constructive role by debating issues and policies instead of personalities based on Ethnic origins.
We have seen that the cooperation of all oppressed nationalities was based on shared values of liberation, justice, respect of human rights and the right of people to determine their future.
Can this example be emulated in order to build lasting peace between Ethiopia and Eritrea? The people of the Horn of Africa have suffered too much for to long.
To be continued