The world has been synchronized by an international organization, the UN, which was born out of the bloody World War Second in an objective of not repeating such kind of historical mistakes which threatens all human beings in socio-economic and environmental terms. The UN system was purely constructed on the foundations of power politics, with a lion share of the successful blocks, and with a least socio-cultural and political considerations regarding multidimensional representations.

The UN system is of the greatest shot of the human race in the direction of international governance not only in their aptitude in limiting humanitarian crises but also in measuring with standardized outlook toward such kind of crises.

The UN system is not the last but the least alternative organization, as long as war, famine, chaos, insecurity and maladministration still prevail with a great potential of exploiting the UN's weakest link. In this micro-second, at least one human being is in misery because of, at least, three pertinent probabilities regarding the UN system of recurring its incapability, partiality and disinterest.

The primary objective of the UN system as predetermined in article 1 of the charter is the maintenance of international peace and security and disputes, likely to endanger the status quo. These are required under article 33 to be solved by ‘mediation, arbitration, judicial settlement, and resort to regional agencies, negotiation or inquiry’.

Based on the principle of sovereign equality of all its Members (article 2), states shall refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state, or in any other manner inconsistent with the Purposes of the United Nations. The UN charter also deeply articulates its foundation in the principle of mutual coexistence, the rule of law and the respect of basic human rights.

The members of the UNSC, the brain of the UN system also should act in a more exemplary way in admitting even the smallest legal procedures that encoded in its charter. Do they or not, is not the issue of discussion here, rather to justify how the UN organization in general has been manipulated by self-interested powers for unilateral objectives.

 Regrettably to remembering the politicized sovereign interventions of the UN in Iraq, Libya, Afghanistan and so ever, (which cost millions of lives), another prevalence which tales the true narrations of the UN system has been decided by the General Assembly, that brings a new adventurist Horn African country to be Non Permanent Member of the UNSC this month.

Ethiopia will became the associate of non-permanent member of the UNSC, after 185 of the 190 UN member states voted in favor of  its membership, during a secret-ballot poll held at the UN General Assembly(Is in no way a reflection of TPLF’s “diplomacy”, and no doubt its patrons helped get it elected)[1].

Ethiopia’s assumption of a non-permanent member’s seat in the UN Security Council will start in January 2017 to serve a two-year term.

Accordingly, like the permanent members, Ethiopia will participate in decisions at the council that can authorize the deployment of troops from UN member countries, mandate cease-fires during conflict and impose economic penalties on countries.

This is a historical curse for the people of the horn at large and for the poor Ethiopian society which have been ruined by the undemocratic and unaccountable reigns of the TPLF dominated EPRDF’s kingdom for the chance of having the biggest stick ever to legitimize it’s all misconducts.

A country which governance is at stake, maladministration and corruption, is a problem which is ‘far more deep rooted’[2] accordingly is going to be the member of UNSC. EPRDF’s foundation is bureaucratized on the bases of deep-rooted patronage and client networks.

Consequently, the issue of good governance is not an economy or service delivery one but also is the absence of accommodating diversity of opinions and democratic rights.

A country which never beliefs in a supremacy of law and accountability, pursue violation and intervention for its national and international objectives will sit to adjudicate and to act as a watchdog for non using force despite its deep lawless catalytic  roles in exacerbating crises. Further, it is a country which is a blood Cancer for regional integration that nurtures other states to purse an interventionist strategy for national objectives. Somalia and South Sudan peace making process qualifies how IGAD have been entirely used for Ethiopia’s geostrategic interests and subsequently tickets some countries unilateral interventions of Uganda and Kenya to South-Sudan and Somalia respectively.

The Algiers Peace Agreement was a final decision by the EEBC in dreaming a lasting peace, stability and security between Ethiopia and Eritrea. This verdict also proves Ethiopia from the day one as an aggressor by rewarding ‘Badme’ the flash point of the war to Eritrea. Many expected the APA as a great advantage for both nationals to rehabilitate their war-ravaged economy and to live in a more cooperative manner. Eritrea from the day of the decision fully abides by the EEBC decisions and has been waiting for its enforcement for almost 15 years.  Ethiopia at first disdains lately rejects by denouncing the decision and still is in a presence of occupying Eritrea's sovereign territories.

Article 4 (2) of the Algiers Agreement states: The parties agree that a neutral Boundary Commission composed of five members Shall be established with a mandate to delimit and demarcate the colonial treaty Border based on pertinent colonial treaties (1900, 1902 and 1908) and applicable International law.

In Article 4 (15) it also further specified as:

The parties agree that the delimitation and demarcation determinations of the Commission shall be final and binding. Each party shall respect the border so determined, as well as the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the other party.

Faced with insuperable Ethiopian obstructions, and undertaking its responsibility under the Algiers Agreement, the Boundary Commission defunct its operations on 25 August 2008 by filing its twenty-seventh and final report to the Secretary-General.

The Commission concluded its work on delimitation and demarcation of the Eritrean-Ethiopia border in November 2007 using modern techniques of image processing and terrain modeling in combination with the use of high resolution aerial photographs by identifying boundary points both through grid and geographical coordinates.

Despite the fact, a large part of Eritrean territory including Badme has been under the illegal occupation of the Ethiopian regime.

More so, provocative actions against Eritrea have been emanating, which extends from speaking at parliamentary level for 'regime change' to real provocations of like June 12's 2016 attack.
This is in a violation of the UNSC resolutions, UN charter for sovereign equality, AU and other relevant agencies and organizations, which have been mum of Ethiopia’s aggressions. Further, they must be ashamed of their wrong positions in engaging with a lawless country which is the source of all Horn-African confounding situations.

In human rights arena, Ethiopia could not even qualify the minimum standard, as the guarantor of basic human rights for its own citizens.  A country which is a key security ally of the US, China, the head quarter of AU and Africa’s largest recipient of international funds (3Billon US Dollar annually) is consistently reported for its gross human right violations excused by anti TPLF stands and fatalistic programs, including forced displacement, killing, threatening, imprisoning, and torturing of thousands of innocent Ethiopian citizens which have been trying to manifest their democratic views.

The following table illustrates how the TPLF’s led EPRDF’s rule antagonizes and contradicts governance on the respect and works to respect the basic human rights of citizens by representing the darkest side of the story.
 

To conclude, Ethiopia’s membership to the NPMUNSC must be questioned in a way of an obligatory principle for each member state to be in a provision of good-governance, sovereign equality and respect for human-rights. If not, the UN system will express its greatest flaw and the Great Horn of Africa will suffer from the expansionist dreams of the Ethiopian regime which is in a legacy of inheriting its historical dreams of victimizing neighbors. Further, this move will ruin the UN’s reputations and will breeds incredibility and mistrust upon the ongoing UN system.

Undoubtley, Ethiopia’s seat at NPMUNSC is also a step for running away from timely political issues which need un urgent UN’s action in its internal and external dimensions in this region. Subsequently, it is a verdict of humiliation and injustices for the horn African masses which have been victimized by TPLF’s adventurist tendencies for self-centered geo-strategic objectives and it may have a tremendous spillover effect.

 

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[1] Sophia Tesfamariam, Ethiopia Runs Against Itself at the UN
[2]'Governance at stake’ available at ‘Asrat Seyoum's blog’