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Oldspeak vs. Newspeak: Is Ethiopia Democratic?

By Richard Joseph_Journal of Democracy_ 9.4 (1998) 55-61; - Is Ethiopia Democratic? A global intellectual project is under way today as scholars grapple with the mixed nature of many political systems formerly considered to be making a "transition to democracy." By "thinking wishfully," as Adam Przeworski put it, scholars had projected onto the initial processes of regime transformation their hopes for more democratic outcomes.[1]

Electronic Telegraph By Inigo Gilmore in Tsorona, Eritrea, May 2, 1999– ERITREA'S female warriors are playing a crucial role in one of the bloodiest conflicts in recent African history. In the past 10 months about 30,000 female Eritrean soldiers, out of a mobilised force of 200,000, have been sent to the front line, with trenches along the old colonial-era border between the two countries, where the Ethiopians are reported to have massed an army of 300,000.

Eritrea Calls for Respect of International Law

Ministry of Foreign Affairs Asmara, 23 April 1999 - As the UN special envoy, Ambassador Sahnun, prepares to return to the region in pursuit of a peaceful resolution to the conflict between Eritrea and Ethiopia, the regime in Addis Ababa is issuing a flurry of statements on the need not to "reward aggression". The TPLF regime attempts to portray itself as a "victim of Eritrean aggression" through the distortion of facts and omission of crucial events. It argues that the border conflict has its origins in early May of 1998 when "Eritrea suddenly attacked Ethiopia" in the Badme region; (even then the date is sometimes May 6 and at other times May 12).

The Economist Addis Ababa and Asmara, May 8-12, 1999– NO ONE paid much attention to a small gun battle in a remote part of the border between Ethiopia and Eritrea on May 6th last year. Eritrea said a group of its officers went, unarmed, to tell some Ethiopian officials they were on Eritrean territory; six of its officers were then shot dead. Ethiopia said there were casualties on both sides. No one imagined that a year later the two countries would have let the battle spread to a full-scale war that has cost tens of thousands of lives—and will claim many more if the latest peace effort by the United Nations comes to nothing.

The New York Times, By Ian Fisher, March 18, 1999– 'Drama staged,' Ethiopia claims: Eritrea said yesterday that it had repulsed Ethiopian troops after a three- day battle along their disputed border in fighting that cost the lives of at least several hundred soldiers and perhaps many more. Eritrea seemed so confident of victory that the army escorted foreign journalists to the front on Tuesday for the first time in nearly a month.
"Foreign diplomats in both nations said they generally believed Eritrea's version of the battles..."

ALFAJAR: A HORN OF AFRICA WEEKLY NEWSPAPER PUBLISHED IN LONDON– March 13-19, 1999–EVEN THOUGH I belong to the generation of the liberation struggle, I was amazed during my recent two-day visit to Asmara to see before my eyes the past intertwined with the future. Eritrea today is the embodiment of a bridge linking two periods: the period of the three decades of the liberation struggle, with all its vigor, valor and immense sacrifices; and the period of the future which begins from today and radiates with the Eritreans’ absolute certainty and determination to be their own masters.

The Nation Magazine, By Dan Connell, March 29, 1999– AT ISSUE IS NOT JUST BORDERS BUT THE VERY DEFINITION OF TWO AFRICAN COUNTRIES: The present lull in the fighting between Eritrea and Ethiopia may lead to a shift in their bitterly fought contest to the negotiating table, but an end to hostilities between two of the poorest but best-armed states in Africa is not in sight.

The Economist March 13-19 , 1999–  With no television pictures to put the war between Ethiopia and Eritrea on the world’s agenda, it has tended to be dismissed as a minor affair. It is not. In four days of fighting at the end of February, it now seems that up to 40,000 soldiers were killed or wounded in the battle for Badme.

AfriFocus, Forum For African Affairs, February 28, 1999 – The novelty of African Politics is getting more panoramic every day...Ethiopia has put all its weight to lemon out Eritrean tenacity to hold on to the Badme area. Eritrea has capitulated and accepted the OAU peace proposal...

UNITED NATIONS, March 4 (Reuters) Friday, 05:24 p.m Mar 04, 1999–  Security Council members on Thursday deplored continued fighting between Ethiopia and Eritrea, even though both have accepted a peace plan, and regretted that Ethiopia was pressing ahead with military action.

Global Intelligence February 9, 1999 – Ethiopia launched an offensive against neighboring Eritrea on February 6...the problem for international organizations attempting to broker a peace treaty between the two countries is that the dispute is not that simple. Ethiopia has not expended an estimated $300 million on arms since last June simply to retake a desolate patch of rocks.

By Nora Boustany Washington Post Friday, February 12, 1999; Page A31 EST –  Despite President Clinton's divine supplication for peace between Ethiopia and Eritrea at the National Prayer Breakfast last week, bombing raids and ground assaults have killed soldiers and civilians alike, and his plea for the combatants not to use planes in that African conflict has been ignored.

By PETER WORTHINGTON -- Toronto Sun, December 27, 1998 –  Needless war engulfs a unique African oasis: In Africa, a continent racked with wars, revolutions and repression and increasingly regarded as an economic and social basket case, there is one country that is reversing the trend and today is the democratic hope of the continent. It is Eritrea, the newest African state and UN member, about the size of England (or Florida)

BBC, World: Africa Friday, February 12, 1999 Published at 23:29 GMT : The Eritrean Government has denied responsibility for the border war with Ethiopia and said it has a "legitimate right to defend itself" in the face of Ethiopian attacks. The Eritrean Foreign Ministry said it would recognise United Nations demands for an immediate ceasefire, but denied its armed forces had carried out air raids or harassed civilians.

By Paul Harris, Combat & Survival, Volume 10 - Issue 7 – October 1998 The main street of Zalambassa is as if from a film set. A typical border town, its single storied, sunbleached adobe houses face each other across the mud-covered street. Most of the shops and homes are barred and bolted - as if the townspeople expect Clint Eastwood to ride into town at any moment.

Visafric—Feb. 7, 1999 – Diplomatic sources in Addis Ababa say that the Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi has admitted his government’s allegation last Friday that Eritrea launched an air strike on Adi Grat may be based on " wrong information."

"Foreign diplomats in both nations said they generally believed Eritrea's version of the battles, which began early Sunday."
The New York Times, By Ian Fisher, March 18, 1999

"[Ethiopians] have been prepared to accept
casualty figures that are usually regarded as unacceptable in modern warfare."
The Economist, March 13-19 , 1999