The Beast of War in the Horn of Africa

By Kerranssoo Biyyaa

August 25, 2006 — What makes EPRDF-led Ethiopia the beast of War in the Horn of Africa? Now after eight years of the end of Ethio-Eritrean war in 2000 that claimed 100,000 lives, most people in Ethiopia still believe the reasons for the war are unclear and do not require paying that heavy price within two years. Part of the reasons for such a heavy loss of lives has been mainly because the EPRDF was conducting an offensive war using humans and specially conscripts from the oppressed nationals of Ethiopia, among them Oromo youth, as mechanism of removing planted explosives. About the regime that can always manufacture enemies and make any excuse to go to war to gamble with the lives of young Ethiopian peasants, it is right to ask, “Who is our next enemy in the Horn of Africa, and what excuses can we make to go to war with it?”

The beast of war has chosen to go to war with Somalia this time. This will be another war six years later after the war with Eritrea and it is taking place while floodwaters are destroying humans and property. For a country that is grappling with poverty and disease and tyranny of one man, Meles Zenawi, this is going to be another costly war. Both the past war and the war ahead of us are just instances that can be used to justly construct the identity of the present leadership in Finfinnee (Addis Ababa) as “the beast of war”.

“The beast of war” is not just identified with its war with most of its neighbouring countries, but internally also it is busy trying to contain the popular uprisings most violently. The reasons for popular resistance against illegitimate regime are the quest for freedom and democracy both peacefully and in armed resistances. The form of the struggle at home is led purely by secular organisations that do not have to do anything with any form of religious fundamentalism.

On such an encounter during and after the May 2005 general elections, the beast outpoured its wraths. Then it has been very common to see carnages of human beings on city streets and rural markets-mostly civilian protesters and school children. Following that well over a hundred parliamentarian boycotted the to join the parliament after the election frauds by TPLF. People want change at any price in Ethiopia. To put it in a plain English, Ethiopia is just a failed state where power comes not from majority of the oppressed nationals in the country but, from a minority (7%) and especially from barrels of gun of Tigrean Peoples Liberation Front/EPRDF who has masked itself in a democracy that it never believes in. The popular struggle involving all Ethiopian tribes is just the resistance against the domination of the Tirgean Minority in all spheres of lives. The regime both within its army, or with in other such other public services sectors conspicuously reserves higher position and jobs for Tigrean Nationals. It discriminates the oppressed nationals from holding any influential positions. That has resulted in dissatisfaction across the board and has led to growing resistance against it. Few ones who make to the top will finally end up either seeking asylum else where in the west or joining liberation fronts to fight the system because they can not exercise independent and fair judgements. The issue of injustice against the majority is raised here mainly because the government is always busy to disguise it in order appear in good light in the eyes of donor countries.

To contain the home situations described above, the regime often resorts to being a force of instability in the Horn of Africa. Often it engages in making a “superpower” out itself in the Horn of Africa. However, for those who carefully try to understand the EPRDF/TPLF A-Z, it is easy to realise that despite the large number of troops conscripted into Ethiopian army, the same struggle that exists between the government and the people are observed therein; oppressed nationals struggle against minority nationals. In this light, the Ethiopian troops that many see as mighty power in the Horn of Africa, is nothing but a divided and fractured house that may collapse anytime in favour of the popular struggle for freedom and democracy. Evidences of this kind have surfaced recently while some army commanders are defecting to struggle against it. So, number is not a guarantee for EPRDF Army’s being a superpower in the Horn of Africa, while the troops are mostly from the majority-oppressed nationals often with dissatisfactions and low moral in the army.

Why strategic alliance is wrong with the Ethiopian Army

For the same reasons that the Ethiopian government is viewed as a potential enemy by most countries in the region, and for the same reasons that qualifies the national army not as defenders of constitution and national sovereignty but as beast of war inside and outside with the tyrant prime minister riding it from the top, any strategic coalitions established between it and other forces fighting terrorism, would be no better than no coalition. Any country forming coalition with the Ethiopian troops should be cautious in that very act, and should do that in a way that does not affect the national liberation struggles being waged from within by secular forces.

A good way to achieve stability in the Horn of Africa for parties interested, both regional and global players included, is to first attempt to solve the political standoffs in Ethiopia. Despite the fact that Ethiopia always attempts to portray all opposition parties and liberation movements as “terrorists” to win more aid to suppress dissent, within and in diaspora Ethiopia all the political organisations are secularly based and are friends and allies of the west, and condemn terrorism in all its forms because it is equally an issue for all freedom loving forces. The oppositions are always ready for dialogue with the ruling party, but efforts in this regard have been shattered by EPRDF/TPLF itself.

The flood claims over 1000 in less than three weeks time
Of course I believe that the flood disaster caused in the country is one of the severe natural calamities that have happened. The flood has also proven the inefficiency and reluctance of the government to rescue victims and to distribute food to the affected because it attention is focused on campaigning to Somalia rather rescuing the affected. In Dire Dawa, thanks to the United Sates Marine, Seabees, over fifty tent shelters were put in place for affected people.

The floods caused by Omo River in the SNNP, however, fleshes out a major failure of the regime. It has been reported by the BBC and VOA that people have been refusing to evacuate because they cannot imagine life without their livestock. This shows the disturbing scale of poverty and illiteracy in the country that makes people very desperate; people are desensitised from caring about themselves. The floods so far have killed as many people as people killed in the Lebanon Israeli War that has just entered a truce.
Where is the beast of war heading next?

By Kerranssoo Biyyaa is based in Ethiopia at [email protected]