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From: Zeyhilel@aol.com
Date: Thu Apr 07 2011 - 10:26:38 EDT
Selam Alula and Dehaiers,
On 12/24/09, I wrote the following here in Dehai:
{{...I have always contended that even if the friendliest angels were to
come down from the Heavens and run Eritrea with a committed mission to
please the Zionists and the United States in every way possible, Eritrea would
still have received the same biased and hateful treatment it now receives at
the hands of these imperialists. Why? Because Eritrea is perceived by
them to be in the way to their overall scheme of controlling the Red Sea from
being totally in the hands of Moslem countries....}}
Well, what are we now seeing? The same hands of Zionists are fomenting
instability in our region yet again. And for whose interest? Of course, for the
interest of the land of Zion -- ISREAL. The Woyane are just tools,
responding to the wishes of their masters. And who loses along the way? Of course,
the Eritrean people and the Ethiopian people -- the perennial pawns of the
imperialists. Who else?
Of course, there will still be some shallow-minded Eritreans, or is it
Eritreans with closed minds, that still don't get it and they might even still
be waiting in line hoping to pick up some crumbs in case events play out in
their favor. Well, I have news for them: they will die waiting.
Zeyhilel
"Luck favors the prepared mind" -- Louis Pastur
Ethiopian Government New Policy Shift toward Eritrea
By Alula Afewerki
April 5, 2011
Over the past few weeks, we have heard in different media outlet, the news
of what Ethiopian Prime minster said in an interview to supposedly an
Eritrean opposition radio. Somewhere in the interview the prime minster
indicates a policy shift from no peace no war, to taking a preemptive strike and
attempting to change a regime in Asmara. On this article I want to address
why, of all time the Prime-minster chose to echo a sound of war. Is he
just bluffing or something we should take seriously, and how we should react
to such news, also is there any lesson we can learn from pervious rhetoric
from this regime or any parallels we can draw and last but not least if the
current wave of anti-dictators demonstrations that is swiping north
African countries has any bearing on the issue.
The first question that comes to mind is, why now? What has changed in the
doing or undoing of the Eritrean government in its dealing with the
Ethiopian government that prompt the prime minster to state a change in policy?
Before I even discuss that, a change in policy of this magnitude, shouldn’
t it be presented to Ethiopian people either through the parliament if
there is an effective parliament that is, as we are told, democratically
elected parliament exist in Ethiopia, or even on a press conference directly by
the prime minster addressing the people. To tell the Ethiopian people of
such major policy shift, indirectly through an Eritrean opposition radio seems
a bit strange to say the least. It is almost as if the government does
not care what the people and the parliament thinks as far as this issue. May
be its intended audience are not the Ethiopian people. Though if the
policy were to be carried out, it would directly or indirectly affects every
single Ethiopian lives.
So it is rather interesting why the prime-minster chose to first bring
this issue via an interview with Eritrean opposition radio. To me this makes
me believe that this is another rhetoric that was not well planned and as
usual coming from the prime-minster’s mouth before even discussing with his
cabinet. And after the oops, comes the cover up to make it look like it
was a policy shift on the part of the government, I say that because after
the interview, the next couple of days we heard from the Ethiopian foreign
department talking or echoing the same statement in support of the
prime-minster. Though the interview was riddled with conflicting stories, where in
one part the prime-minster talks of his love for Eritrea and his unwavering
support of the independence and some sacrifice made by his party to such
accord, and his desire for future peace with the people even with the
government of Eritrea. But as always he comes short from saying or doing what is
right to reach to that peaceful place he says he wants to get. Always he
puts a precondition to peace by changing the conditions. I remember of
this old adage I heard, “the change of plate will not make the food test any
better”. The prime-minster tells us in different times what this
preconditions are, first we heard, he was all for peace and he has accepted the final
and binding nature of the border issue under what he called a 5 point
plan, and only through that plan was peace to be realized. When the Eritrean
government ignored and refused his 5 point plan rightly so if I may add,
since there were no legal basis what so ever to have any 5 or 10 point plan,
the regime in Addis started to tell us, now they have finally accepted the
plan they just wanted some dialogue, almost in a Hollywood fashion, the
prime minster dramatized the situation by telling us, if we were to accept the
peace plan as stated and demarcation ensued, then some homes will be split
in halves and it will be such a tragic to these people, and he vilified and
attempted to make the Eritrean government was reckless and acting like an
evil groups that didn’t care about the homes being split in halves,
basically this time he made it look like as if the prime-minster was holding the
peace hostage on behalf of the few homes that he said were going to be
split, and in good conscious he just couldn’t go with it. What is interesting
is, the Eritrean government or any official from the government has never
made such a callus claim or a desire to see homes split in halves, or
blindly ever wanted to just put a line through the border by bulldozing peoples
home. To this days, the Ethiopian government has never shown any evidence
of any actual home that actually lies right on the center of the demarcating
lines, where the demarcation would split them in half. Nevertheless the
Ethiopian government continues to make such irrational and false claims.
Contrary to this, the Eritrean government has shown over the years to be not
only responsible but a government committed to the welfare of the poor
regardless they be Eritreans or any other people. And it is unthinkable and
uncharacteristic of the Eritrean government to do any different if the
chances were given to demarcate that they will do it without sensitivity and
rationality on the ground. Again if I can fast forward in time, because the
Eritrean government knew, the regime in Addis was not serious about peace,
and also because there were no legal basis for any pre-condition
negotiations before demarcation, it made its point very clear from the outset and
thus again rightly so, they refused any form of negotiations as a form of
precondition to demarcation. And when this strategies didn’t work for the
Regime in Addis, changing the tune of their song, they started to tell us, now
they don’t care if the house split not two ways but according to the prime
minster three ways, but he tells us, it is not the house split that he
cares about, but a promise on the part of the Eritrean government to normalize
relations with his government. And if this precondition is met, then he
will abide by commission’s ruling to demarcate as if he is doing us a favor.
The fact is, it is his responsibility to shoulder his obligation and carry
out the demands of international law. He fails to address or attempt to
cover up his illegal occupation of Eritrean legitimate land by force.
His absurd rational to withdrawing from Eritrean undisputed legal territory
is, he could withdraw and demarcate but if Eritrea is not willing to
normalize what is the point. One thing is very clear; the prime-minster is
consistently inconsistent time and time again. His stories are always changing,
but one thing that he is consistent on is on failing to meet the final and
binding ruling of the court. Here what people must realize is, these are
two different and distinct issues, nowhere in allergies agreement or the
commission’s final and binding rule does it states; one party must be willing
to normalize any ties with the other in order to accept and comply with the
ruling. First and foremost before we even go to the larger issue of
normalization, one has to show commitment on the ground, that they are ready for
peace, and that they can follow, accept and abide by the rule of law. The
Eritrean government to this accord has shown, not only restraint, but
respect to the rule of law, by accepting this final ruling from the outset, and
continue to this date, their commitment to this ruling to the letter. If
the regime in Addis was committed to peace with the Eritrean people, first
and foremost, it should withdraw from the occupied territories, then come to
the demarcation table, once this part is done and done successfully,
should the Eritrean government refuse to normalize though it has the right to do
so, may be then the cries and allegations of prime-minster might have some
ground. But to accuse the law abiding government of Eritrea of
destabilizing his country or other neighboring country, when in fact it is His
government that has been actively engaged in destabilizing his neighboring
Somalia and also who is in direct conflict with the rule of law and trans
passing and illegally occupying sovereign Eritrean territory, is simply
unacceptable. No amount of sugar coating or saying good things to Eritrean people
is going to get to the hearts and minds of Eritrean people. If the
prime-minster genuinely cares for Eritrean people and wants to do right with us,
the solution is very simple, no need for all this fanfare, just accept the
rule of law, and we guaranty you, you will have your normalization after
wards. But while illegally occupying ones country, the prime-minster is not
in any legal or illegal position to tell the Eritrean government on how to
proceed on this issue, the prime-mister has no moral high ground, to dictate
or suggest any precondition on how to proceed for ward. What he needs to
do is simply abide by the rule of law.
It is quite clear, the regime in Addis is feeling the pressure inside and
to some extent from outside, and as the pressure mounts and the heat is
getting hotter, the prime minster may attempt to divert the attention of the
people of Ethiopia. After lying to the people for more than 20 years of the
illusion of developmental growth his country has brought with double digit
economy, the fact are contrary to this, over 90% of the Ethiopian
population living under poverty, over 60% of school age children are not enrolled in
school, lack of any meaningful health care program or healthcare facility
to the vast sector of society. In every sector of growth, the country ranks
below average against the world’s poorest average that is. In poverty
index, Ethiopia ranks among the highest from the bottom up. With ever high
rising and disappearing food and other commodities from the country, with
absolute dissolution of any meaning full opposition party from the
government, with tension between different tribes and religious groups rising. With
vast sector of the arable land given away as a cheap commodity to foreign
investors pennies on the dollar, while the dwellers and rightfully owners of
the lands are being systematically being removed or killed from their
ancestral homes. Here I just want to make a contrast to how the prime-minster
appeared to have cared of homes being split in border area with Eritrea, but
yet, in Gambella and other southern regions, the prime-minster is very
busy bulldozing and burning peoples home and evicting them by force. So it is
clear with all these pressures mounting on the government, we see an
increasing paranoia of the government as evidence by recent arresting of over
200 opposition figures mostly from the Oromo tribes and clamping on the
freedom of its citizen, it is understandable the dooms day of its end is
reaching at a speed of light. Fear is mounting, and day to day meetings of
government is occupied on how to mute the people and stop the freedom train that
is swiping the north African countries from reaching Addis. But the
eventual arrival of this train against the wishes of the Ethiopian government is
inevitable, and it is this pressure that is driving the prime-minster to
entertain the idea of war, with the peace loving and law abiding government
and people of Eritrea.
I also like to throw in an idea that, as pressures mounts and the eventual
failing of this government reaches, we have to be very cognizant of the
fact, there is an article in the Ethiopian constitution, known as article
number 39, which pretty much allows any group of people or part of a country
may split from the larger Ethiopia should the group desires to do so, though
in practice so far it has not been entertained, even in the face of a
legitimate question by the Ogden people, the response they got from the
government was a heavy handed genocide to their simple question of freedom. But
we all know that article was only meant in the event the dooms day arrived,
as it is arriving now, the group will attempt to apply it to the tigray
province and attempt to create an independent state of tigray. To this
accord over the past 20 years in their dream to create such a state, they have
been redirecting most of the country’s wealth to development in tigrai
region as well as redrawing the maps of the region, they have included fertile
lands from Gondar and wolleo to be part of tigrai and it was also part of
this dream that pushed them to go to war with Eritrea in the first place.
Part of the border with Eritrea that the court later awarded to Eritrea, was
all planned to be included in what they called abyi tigrai. Though the
Eritrean government put an end to that fantasy on the north, their dream of
independent tigrai has not completely died, and we have to consider this
regime might attempt one more time, using the Ethiopian people as a canon
fodder as it did in the last war with Eritrea, in a futile attempt to over
throw the Eritrean government from power, and install one of the subservient
Eritrean opposition groups that are stationed in Addis. Because the
Prime-minster knows well an independent tigrai without a friendly Eritrea as its
neighbor to the north will not survive a day. And since the Eritrean
government under the leadership of Issayas Afewerki is clear on this issue, it
does not see, the tigrai people different from the larger Ethiopian people and
does not want to be part of this fantasy. The regime in Addis could have
decided may be the option to attempt to over throw or change the regime in
Asmara as its final and last option.
We cannot sit idle nor underestimate such reckless statement as
diversionary alone and that this paranoid government won’t start another war. In its
ill-advised position and miscalculation of the will and unity of the
Eritrea people with their government, in addition to that with the long standing
fantasy of creating abyi tigrai and the increasing pressure the
prime-minster is under, it is quite possible that, he could attempt another round of
war, as final way out or an attempt to doge the final bullet of his
downfall. Though the strong and ever ready Eritrean defense force is more than
ready and capable of defending any treat from the regime in Addis, and
putting the last nail on the coffin over their fantasy of abay tigrai, there
would be no justification for one single Eritrean blood to be shade, for the
sole purpose of keeping the tyrant and despot of Addis in power one more day.
The Ethiopian government must be aware that, Eritreans inside or outside
their country are united when it comes to their sovereign country and will
support their government till the end to defend their country from an
outside enemy forces.
In conclusion, it is very clear, pressures are mounting in the Woyan’s
camp, and their eventual downfall is reaching, contrary to their wish, the
Eritrean government working day and night with their people, is making
demonstrable economic and other progress in the face of and against all odds.
Because the commitment to work rather than steal from their people, is the
driving force of the Eritrean government. It will be in his best interest
for the prime-minster to come to his senses and accept the rule of law, and
withdraw his forces from the illegally occupied Eritrean territory, instead
of entertaining any adventures that will only hasten his final and total
demise from the face of reality and will throw him to the bin of history!!!!!
Long live Eritrea and her sprit!!!!
Awet ‘n hafash=