Date: Mon, 1 Sep 2014 13:08:38 +0200
Sudan lured into TPLF's defense: Joint forces to operate under single
command along common border
By Keffyalew Gebremedhin - <http://ethiopiaobservatory.com/> The Ethiopia
Observatory (TEO)
01.09.2014
In the last few days, the media in Ethiopia and Sudan reported about
Ethiopia and the Sudan concluding agreement to establish a joint military
force under single command along the common border, which would become
operational in a few weeks' time.
Without discussing the purported nature of the threat faced by the two
countries, Sudanese defense officials repeatedly stressed that the joint
force was a necessity dictated by the security needs of the two countries,
adding that their latest effort was outcome of an earlier understandings
between officials of the two sides.
This latest agreement was concluded in Addis Abeba at the 11th session of
defense officials of the two nations, whose realization would be marked by
the deployment of the defense forces of the two countries on eight fronts
along the common border in September.
Perceptible in the carefully expressed words at the official press
conference of the two sides is their awareness of the existing public
distrust of any arrangements between the TPLF and the Al-Bashir regime. This
had especially kept Sudanese officials hard at work in emphasizing the
importance of their joint security arrangements for respective nation's
defense, economic development and cooperation.
Unlike the Sudanese officials, however, the emphasis by the TPLF
representatives has betrayed their longstanding mortal fears of Sudanese
territory being used as staging ground for operations against the regime, as
they themselves had utilized it before coming to power. While not wanting to
give out in public that indeed is their concern, they did not manage to
disguise that they have been bracing up for some time for an alleged danger
coming from Egypt.
Regarding this matter, a Sudan Tribune's TPLF insider and himself a member
quotes the Front's officials who reportedly pointed out to him that the
latest agreement with the Sudan is a "key part of their defense strategy",
aiming "to avert any possible sabotage of a controversial dam project [under
construction] on the Nile, some 40km from the Sudanese border."
In more explicit language, according to the paper, this military pact is
described by TPLF insiders as insurance against any hostile action,
especially in the event of a direct "air strike backing Ethiopian rebels to
destroy the $ 4.6 billion power plant project."
Is the TPLF working to protect itself in power or Ethiopia's interests?
The irony surrounding the above defense agreement with the Sudan is that no
Ethiopian in his right mind would ever think and believe that the Sudan
could be Ethiopia's defender and its long-term interests. If the pretense of
this transaction were to be genuine, which cannot be under any
circumstances, it means that the Sudan must be making humongous sacrifices
on Ethiopia's behalf.
That is why the news story about the new defense arrangement is received by
cross-sections of Ethiopians, if the comments heretofore on various web
pages have served as any guide, with either fingers in their ears or nose
between thumb and index finger.
The irony of the present defense arrangement is the fact of the TPLF
presenting the Sudan as protector of Ethiopia's interests, among others, on
the mighty Nile River.
Most puzzling, however, is why the Sudan must be doing this, especially when
this brings it into clash with Egypt - its coreligionist, a fellow member of
the Islamic Conference Organization (ICO) and an Arab League partner, among
others. Why must Khartoum so intimately ally with largely an 'infidel
nation' (Ethiopia) - in their views - when such action is also presenting it
in the eyes of the Middle East as traitor to its brethren in faith, their
shared sentiments and the conspiracies they have all along loved to hatch
against Ethiopia for several decades now?
That is why this claim about the latest defense agreement does not hold any
water, especially when one recalls that in his June 8, 2014 inaugural speech
<https://www.google.fi/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=4&cad=rja&uact
=8&ved=0CDgQFjAD&url=http%3A%2F%2Fenglish.alarabiya.net%2Fen%2FNews%2Fmiddle
-east%2F2014%2F06%2F08%2FAbdel-Fattah-al-Sisi-sworn-in-Egypt-s-president-.ht
ml&ei=_x_vU9jeOa3G7Ab-oIDoDA&usg=AFQjCNFcMN3NAXkCetaEJcs-DPWlN_mdSw&sig2=9Yx
GZM4IihbMPifFCMSj2A> President Abdulfatah El-Sisi had made it abundantly
clear that Egypt's security is linked to that of the Gulf states and the
rest of the Arab region. He in fact said, "any attempt to threaten their
national security would be the crossing of a " red line.""
Such a claim by Egypt in public must also have reverse corollary. Therefore,
what must the Gulf States do in return as payback to Egypt?
To start with, most of the Gulf States have welcomed Egypt into the 'Arab
fold', which was sufficiently demonstrated during El-Sisi's presidential
inauguration. There is also the billions that followed following his
inauguration.
If this is the reality, why should the Sudan try to undermine Egypt,
especially on Ethiopia's behalf? If not real, then this could also be looked
from the point of the capacity of the Sudan to do deliver that. Suffice to
recall that a few years ago the Sudan could not defend even Khartoum and
Omdurman from forces that easily crossed over with machine gun mounted
pick-up trucks from Chad, who were enraged by Al-Beshir's mistreatment of
Darfurians they see as family members?
Yet in a remote way serving as signal to confirm the self-serving interests
of the TPLF is the composition of the list of Middle Eastern top guests
attending Sisi's swearing ceremony. Experience in diplomacy tells any reader
of the situation, it is an outcome of hard diplomatic horsetrading, which
would not bode well for any interest external, including the Sudan's. As
evidence of the new harmony, in attendance of the inaugural ceremony were
Gulf chiefs, ranging from the Saudi and Abu Dhabi's crown princes to Kuwaiti
emir and the monarchs of Bahrain and Jordan, among others.
Why should the Sudan go against Egypt and such an array of powers to serve
Ethiopia's interests, when those are known for their political, economic and
financial might that can easily squish Khartoum?
Moreover, if anything, the reality speaks of the ghastly role Al-Bashir has
played in undermining his own country during his years in power. He has
neither done what a true leader must do to promote and advance the Sudan's
interests. Instead, he has managed to reduce its wonderful people and that
country into a pariah state in the eyes of the wider international
community.
Today, for the international community synonymous with the Sudan's name is
the human rights violations, the crimes against humanity and terrorism by
the Bashir regime. How could the Sudan defend Ethiopia, a nation that very
well knows itself?
It is in fact the TPLF that has utilized Ethiopia's name and honor and its
influences in Africa, a derivative of it being the headquarters of the
African Union to protect Al-Bashir from international justice. This
happened, when the world - including many in Africa - have been of the
persuasion that he along with his top officials belong to the docks because
of various crimes against the Sudanese people and their obnoxious actions
against neighboring states, if one looks to the east to Ethiopia, in the
west to Chad and in the south Uganda.
That is why the question arises, why and how such people who have been
committing crimes against their own people and nation - the Sudan - should
be expected to do any good by Ethiopia. After all, for all what history has
recorded, Sudanese leaders since independence in mid-1950s have been
plotting all sorts of hostile actions against our nation.
Indeed, already we are living witnesses to the fact that they succeeded in
the early 1990s in injuring Ethiopia's sovereignty and its territorial
integrity, with the TPLF as the sharp end of their spear.
As if that were not enough, we have also heard sordid stories about the
Sudan's operations against helpless Ethiopian refugees fleeing their country
due to TPLF's persecution since the TPLF came to power in 1991. That is an
action constituting a clear violation of international human rights and
humanitarian laws. Therefore, to this day the number of those Ethiopians the
Sudan handed over to the gallows in Addis Abeba remains unknown.
That is why Ethiopians strongly feel and believe that these crimes against
those Ethiopians be included in the list of the many other crimes by
Al-Bashir and his lieutenants to be held accountable under international
law. On several occasions, the UNHCR had also voiced its concerns such
Sudanese concerns.
That was years ago, before the High Commissioner began turning blind
anywhere and everywhere about any crimes against Ethiopian refugees and
asylum seekers, especially in Djibouti, Kenya and Uganda. The members of the
anti-democracy mafia, organized under the umbrella of the so-called
Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), which since the 2005
election in Ethiopia has been reduced to a TPLF fulcrum for silencing
dissent under the guise of fighting terrorism in the Horn and East Africa,
about which the United States and a number of Western states have full
awareness.
Post-election 2005 redux
To sum up, this latest TPLF defense arrangement is reminiscent to many
Ethiopians why in the first place in the morrow of the 2005 election the
TPLF leaders went out on limbs to the Sudan in search of assurances that no
Ethiopian opposition group would ever use Sudanese territory - as the TPLF
had done in the past to unseat the regime in Addis Abeba. In return, they
pledged their friendship and loyalty to the interests of the Sudan, whose
initial deal, as revealed by Sebhat Nega in March 2007, was sealed with
pledge to Omar Al-Bashir to end on Ethiopia's part its claim to the area
under dispute between the two nations for over a century.
It has been reported that Meles assured Al-Bashir with expedited border
demarcation, as TPLF's tribute. The idea was for the Sudan to claim the
fertile agricultural lands under dispute and that it has so much wanted.
Its outcome has now been massive dislocation of tens and thousands of
Ethiopian farmers from their traditional lands along the Sudanese border.
This has also sowed the seeds of future conflicts. Recently, anger was
reported to have caused spontaneous armed conflict between dislocated
farmers from the Ethiopian side with Sudanese border people, the latter
supported by both Sudan's and TPLF armed forces.
At this point, Ethiopians have no need need for a lesson who and what
Al-Bashir and TPLF leaders are all about. These past years have been
generous in helping Ethiopians in that regard; they have offered them
sufficient education about the identities of the jugglers in both Addis
Abeba and Khartoum, their short- and long-term needs and goals.
In fact, what is learnt about them is how much early on Meles Zenawi - now
his generals and security chiefs and their minions in the other ethnic
fronts - and their counterparts in the Sudan - have as much benefited at the
expense of the two peoples and their nations.
Because of that, Addis Abeba and Khartoum may for now have created bonds;
what they cannot realize is that they both belong to the past of our nations
and the sub-region.
Both Omar Al-Bashir and the TPLF have finally reached the end of their
roads, after 25 years and the TPLF after 23 years in power, respectively.
Most importantly, they have become a spit the public has totally rejected,
especially the corrupt and morally bankrupt TPLF.
Conclusion
Left for the people now is to begin to clean the mess, picking up the pieces
after the heartless dictators. It would also take long for the people of the
Sudan to learn why it would initially become difficult to create good
neighborly relations with the people of Ethiopia, until amends are offered
for the grievous crimes of the collaboration between TPLF and Sudanese
leaders.
Joint or dis-joined their repressive defense forces, at this point what the
world witnesses is a futile exercise and, as far as the TPLF is concerned,
it might also be the first step toward realizing its long-term objective,
aiming to ensure fulfillment of Meles Zenawi's dream of bringing together
Eritrea, Tigray and the Sudan to create new country, presumably another
market, possibly music to the ears of international capital.
In truth, lurking behind this present effort and its objective could be
TPLF's desire to administer a further beating to historic Ethiopia's
sovereignty and territorial integrity. They have amassed stolen monies in
these past years from Ethiopia's economic opportunities that compels them to
find new place to unpack them for a new beginning, if at all, possibly
without fear of an angry nation ready to rise against them.
History has recorded that many of the ancestors of TPLF leaders were allies
of colonialist Italy that invaded Ethiopia on two occasions in its efforts
to subjugate and occupy the country: not only once but twice: the first time
in the 19th century where their new master Italy was dealt massive
humiliation at the Battle of Adowa and in the 20th century at prelude to
World War II, again where Italy's imperialist and colonialist ambitions were
terribly shattered, along with the traitors dreams.
Who could think it was mere ignorance on their part, or forget or ignore
TPLF leaders' constant attacks against Ethiopian history and culture? It was
part of the TPLF's grand plan to undermine Ethiopia, as they aim to realize
their dream of elevating Tigray in the long run as separate state and that
hide out they have in mind. I would like to think and believe that there
still are as many self-respecting honorable people of goodwill, who think
and believe in their Ethiopian origin and identity, unlike the sellouts!
It is in the light of this that may wonder how could it make any sense for
any Ethiopian that the latest defense arrangement is thus in the interest of
the Ethiopian people. Many Ethiopian parents are aware that their children
who fled their country through the Sudan have lost their lives or are still
languish as prisoners in that country.
Who would dare tell those parents, save the TPLF, that the Sudan is both
protector of their country and bulwark for their children, when in reality
the Sudan has been the first country to hand many of them over to be
executed in secret in any of the marked and unmarked TPLF prisons around
Ethiopia?
<http://ethio.ecadforum.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/sudan-ethiopia-m
ap.jpg> Joint forces to operate under single command
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