http://addisfortune.net/columns/externalising-internal-issues-a-fruitless-endeavour/
Externalising Internal Issues a Fruitless Endeavour
Eritrea is rather a tiny nation in the Horn of Africa with a
negligible profile and a total population not more than six million –
although no country’s status should ever be pre-judged in terms of its
territorial and population size from a legal and geo-political
standpoint. Having said that, I am regularly amazed and even puzzled
by the persistent claim of the Ethiopian authorities that every other
problem within their country is either imported from or initiated by
the Eritrean government and its cross-border infiltrators. In fact, we
are making a government little noticed by the outside world gradually
come to purportedly deserve due attention because of our successive
allegations and ill-advised outcries.
Would it not be rather erroneous and embarrassing to consistently
attribute each and every domestic trouble in Ethiopia to the alleged
interference of external foes, with particular reference to the
unspecified Eritrean saboteurs?
Admittedly, the two hostile nations have never been at a reliable or
genuine peace, ever since Eritrea’s dismemberment from the former in
1993. Not long after the jubilant celebration of its political
birthday, it went into a senseless and catastrophic border war from
1998 through 2000, which resulted in the tragic loss of thousands of
troops and civilians from both sides. Technically, Ethiopia came out
victorious in that dreadful war, although it has not benefited much,
even by way of gaining a modest outlet to the sea.
To this date, there is no clearly demarcated and internationally
recognised border between Ethiopia and Eritrea. Worse, the relations
between them remains largely tense and characteristic of continuing
hostility, with little hope to transform and tranquilise it under the
current circumstances.
It is against such a critical and deplorable background that one
routinely accuses the other of unduly interfering in its own internal
affairs by irresponsibly arming and financing each other’s opposition
and subversive elements moving about in the outlying border regions.
The most recent statement released by the Ethiopian Government in
connection with the public demonstration in the north-western city of
Gondar, which followed the arrest of members of the Wolkayit Committee
by a joint Federal Police and Anti-Terrorism task force, is the latest
indication of this ever-strained relationship.
According to the official statement read over the national radio and
television on the evening of July 15, 2016, the rebellion was
triggered by an organised attempt to apprehend one of the alleged
perpetrators of a serious crime. It was claimed that this crime had
involved attacks on both individuals and property on several occasions
in various places adjoining the Tigray and Amhara Regional states. It
was further alleged that such acts had been conducted under the hidden
instruction of and collaboration with the Eritrean regime and its
anti-peace agents at home.
The actual incident started following the arrest of four other members
of the said committee, who were separately tracked down and taken away
from their respective residences in the city one by one. This was
allegedly done without the prior knowledge of the local police or
security institutions.
When the fifth committee member, who happens to be a retired army
colonel, was finally provoked with a similar action, he reportedly
opened fire from within his clandestine siege against the authorities
and resisted arrest. After this, nearby residents were alerted to the
incident and came out to defend him and his family en masse. According
to eye-witness accounts in the residential area, it was not that easy
for the rather heavily organised task force to capture the said
officer, who had fought back, killed and wounded several federal law
enforcement agents involved in the operation.
Surely enough, the confrontation would not have come to an end had the
locally respected elders not intervened in the standoff and wisely
mediated the two sides so that they would subsequently cease
hostility. They temporarily kept the retired officer under local
police custody until he will be handed over to a court for a
subsequent trial under the law.
Nevertheless, the unpleasant legacy of this unfortunate incident has
sparked an angry and widespread protest in parts of the city.
Residents took to the streets in defiance of the heavy presence of the
federal security and defence forces engulfing and patrolling the area
with a view to contain the tension and stabilise the gloomy state of
affairs. The ensuing damage caused to the property of private citizens
was equally immense.
I am of the opinion that the trouble could have got out of control had
it not been for the pacifying interference of the local elders. It is
important to underscore here that natural wisdom functioned much
better than a regular and properly constituted mechanism, which is not
necessarily responsive to each and every instance.
In the meantime, people have still been waiting for an adequate and
credible explanation of what actually happened in Gondar on July 15,
2016. It is up to the Federal Government to come forward with a full
and comprehensive account of what had been encountered along with its
far-reaching predicaments if the pending trouble is to subside in due
course.
The smooth and realistic resolution of our apparently domestic problem
is less likely to come about by simply and unreasonably trying to
externalise it in an unprecedented search of rather invisible actors
beyond the frontiers of the country. Though not a good friend of ours
indeed, the present Eritrean regime has more than enough outstanding
troubles of its own, before it is able to exert an extended and
mounting pressure on Ethiopia.
If so proved otherwise, the best course of action available for
Ethiopia is to strike back ‘proportionately’ in order to avert the
danger in view.
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By Merhatsidk Mekonnen Abayneh
Merhatsidk Mekonnen is a lawyer with decades of experience in
prosecution and legal advice. He can be reached at
clickmerha1_at_gmail.Com
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Published on Aug 09,2016 [ Vol 17 ,No 849]
Received on Wed Aug 10 2016 - 13:00:31 EDT