Ethiopia’s Meles Zenawi vs Iraq’s Ahmed Chalabi
By Cali Cusmaan
August 9, 2006 — Do you remember the fellow who told the Americans if they invade Iraq, a flower waving, candy tossing, street dancing Iraqis will be welcoming the American soldiers? Well, that is Ahmed Chalabi. You must be wondering what Ahmed Chalabi has in common with the Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi. They both lied and duped the American officials consequently commandeering the American foreign policy in their respective regions. The scale of their lies might be different, Chalabi sold the idea that Sadam Hussein stockpiled nuclear and biological weapons and he partially sold the idea that Iraq was to blame for the September 11 bombings. He sold the idea that Iraq would be liberated and in no time Americans would be able to go home few months after liberation.
Similarly, Meles Zenawi knowing the adverse reaction the US has on anything with the name “Islamists” convinced Jendayi Frazer, the US Assistant Secretary for African Affairs that the Supreme Islamic Courts is engaged in establishing Taliban style government. He sold the idea that the Islamists want to infringe on the Ethiopian territories. He sold the idea that they want to stir trouble among Ethiopian Christians and Muslims and he sold the idea that the interim government is weak and can’t be directly contacted without his intercession. Testimony to this is the Ethiopian Foreign Minister Seyoum Mesfin visited the Somali Interim government in Baidoa last week; a day after his arrival the government has been dissolved to create a new one which he presented at the meeting. This is clear intervention of the Somali affairs by an unelected brutal regime in Addis Ababa. What is further evidence of this is that the US Assistant Secretary for African Affairs changed her total behavior and language about Somalia after she met with Meles Zenawi in Addis Ababa.
Somalia and Ethiopia have territorial disputes and waged wars often to settle their land dispute. Therefore, to think the dictator in Addis Ababa want peaceful Somali Republic is preposterous. What does Meles gain from his unabashed lies to the US? He gains a lot from it; mainly: (1) To mend relations with US in order to get cash and weapons by showing them he is fighting their proxy war to stop what he calls the next “Taliban” (2) to squash his own opposition and democratic parties in Ethiopia (3) to create state emergency out of Somalia affairs in order to rally Ethiopian patriotic instincts to delay their desire for democratic government (4) to isolate his Tigrayan cousin and arc-nemesis Isaias Afewerke of Eritrea (5) to create in Somalia a puppet regime that would agree Meles Zenawi’s demands. This government would have to accept that the despotic administration in Addis Ababa is the ultimate power in the region; that they have the right to intervene in Somali internal affair and silence the voices of opposition that are gaining momentum in the corridors of the emerging Somali government.
Ethiopia has encouraged and supported the disintegration of Somalia into regional states such Puntland and Somaliland and encourages many more to be created. The question that perplexes the mind is what gives Ethiopia the right to intervene without restrain with the internal affairs of Somalia when the opposite is unthinkable? Ethiopia shuns any attempt to help the self determination of ONLF and OLF. What gives Meles of Ethiopia the right to recognize parts of Somalia as independent states when the dictator reserves the right to maintain its territorial integrity especially when he continues to oppress the indigenous peoples of Ogadenia and Oromia? What gives Meles Zenawi the right to meddle with the affairs of others and not expect others to reciprocate? I would let your inquiring minds to think about the answers.
History shows dictators cannot stay in power for long without a wars and enmity among people. Therefore, war must be created out of thin air to legitimize his tyrannical rule over Ethiopia and to keep Somalia in chaos. In this day and age how else can a dictator with a minority rule brutalize and repress a proud nation with over 70 million people? His claim that he wants to see a democratic Republic in Somalia is clearly a wolf in sheep’s clothing. A democratic and strong Somalia is the scariest nightmare that Meles Zenawi can dream of because when he is no longer able to stick his nose in Somali affairs, he would have to find another war mainly to silence his opposition groups to legitimize his oppressive Tigranya minority regime which in turn would create more dissension within the Ethiopian population – thus the cycle of public rebellion and civil disobedience versus Meles’ oppression and iron fist rule.
We the independent Somalis in Diaspora urge the US Assistant Secretary for African Affairs, Mrs. Jendayi Frazer to not take sides and to remain an honest partial to the historic conflict between the two nations; to discourage Meles Zenawi to disregard the territorial integrity of the sovereign nation of Somalia; to not be deceived by Meles’ carefully calculated deception of forewarning about the “Terrorist” threat festering in southern Somalia. U.S support for Ethiopia against the forces of peace in Somalia would only make Somalis to hate America more instead of their real enemy, Meles Zenawi. We encourage the U.S. to engage directly with the Somali Interim government and the Supreme Islamic courts and stop the ugly and proxy negotiations she is conducting in Addis Ababa.
The two countries Ethiopia and Somalia are neighbors and have for a long time engaged in wars and don’t trust each other at all. The affairs of Somali and Ethiopia should be looked in similar way as the affairs of India and Pakistan are looked at. These two countries have territorial disputes and have engaged in their own cold wars for long time, therefore to think one expects the other for good governance is premature at best. May be that would come when the two countries get their own democratically elected presidents and prime ministers and their conflict could be settled in a pen and paper but as long as the issue between the two countries remain under the barrel of gun you must show impartiality in dealing both nations.
Our call to all noble Ethiopian people is, we do respect you as a people and we are aware of your history. Times were better when, for example, under the rein of King Negus Ethiopia was known as the land of justice and freedom where people were free from persecution and your country and people welcomed people in distress. Presently, you are under a brutal regime the same way we are under brutal warlords that he arms and finances them. Do not heed his empty rhetoric and call to arms. We are not calling for the destruction of your country or disintegration of your territorial integrity. The two sides could resolve any disputes between them in negotiations not wars or hostilities. We are certain that democratic Somalia and democratic Ethiopia could reach settlement that both countries can agree on..
All freedom loving people both in Somalia and in Ethiopia should not remain silent. Somalis should not remain indifferent to this dictator to continue to interfere, brutalize and spread lies against our people and our country. We Somalis have conveyed our dismay with Meles Zenawi and his misguided policy of divide and rule. For example, In April 2002 our former prime minister wrote a personal letter (http://www.somaliawatch.org/archivemar02/020507201.htm) asking Meles to change his policy but the Ethiopian prime minister continues to ignore the sensible advice of the elder Somali statesman and defy the international community.
Like wise, Ethiopians, should expose his tortures, killings and prison gulags, and disregard for human rights. They should expose his ruthless elimination of dissidents, pro-democratic, students, intellectuals and labor unions. For Ethiopians living abroad they should influence and convince the countries they live in such as the US, Europe and other places to demand free and fair elections under the auspices of the U.N.
We know that Meles Zenawi would never want to give up power or agree to a democratic rule. If he is ousted out of power, he would not concede defeat; instead he would opt out for creating a separate Tigranya state (country) in the Tigray region where he already developed the infrastructure and public services in anticipations of such a day. We know that the majority of the well-trained units of the Ethiopian army that Meles relies on are of the Tigrey nationality. In the event of internal conflicts, these units are supposed to defend the Tigray regions from other pro unity Ethiopians – thus leading to the inevitable disintegration of Ethiopia.
In conclusion, I would urge our Ethiopians to be careful about Meles’ hidden agendas of creating enmity between the peoples of Somalia and Ethiopia. We should also have the foresight to realize that if homogenous Somalia was easy to break up it would be even much easier to disintegrate the diverse ethnic groups of Ethiopia. Peace and stability is not in the interest of Somalia ONLY, it is also one that would be hard to regain in Ethiopia once it is disrupted. Let us all work hard and in cooperation to get rid of authoritarian rule in both nations, and let us resolve our disputes in peaceful ways.`
* Cali Cusmaan , is based in the US. He can be reached at [email protected]