American group deplores AU’s silence on Ethiopian intransigence
By: Dr. Asgede Hagos
January 14, 2004
A recently formed American grassroots group this week sent a letter to the AU chairman expressing its “frustration and disappointment with the African Union’s failure to take action in response to Ethiopia’s rejection” of the Boundary Commission’s final and binding ruling.
The Northern Virginia branch of the Americans
Working for Peace in Africa (AWPA), in its letter to Mozambique President and
AU Chairman Joaquim Chissano, said, “The price of inaction today will be too
high for Africa and Africans to pay tomorrow. ”
The
AWPA said, although the African Union, which is one of guarantors of the peace
pact signed between Eritrea and Ethiopia in December 2000, “was expected to
play a leading role in the international community’s effort to end the conflict
between the two nations legally and peacefully, all the world has heard so
far from the organization is a deafening silence.” The group believes this
inaction has encouraged continued Ethiopian intransigence,
thereby exacerbating further
the peace process between the two nations. The AWPA also “strongly believe
that the host nation has greatly compromised the integrity and independence
of the AU, as it did that of the OAU.” The AU is based in the Ethiopian capital,
Addis Ababa.
Here below is the full test
of the AWPA letter to Chissano, with copies to AU Commission Chairman Alpha
Oumar and Konare, and Algerian President A. Bouteflika, who led the peace
negotiation between the Eritrea and Ethiopia. The letter was signed by 50
of AWPA’s members and supporters.
H.E. Joaquim .Chissano
January 1, 2004
Chairman
The African Union
Av. Julius Nyerere #1780
Maputo, Mozambique
Your Excellency:
We the undersigned Americans
are writing this letter to express our frustration and disappointment with
the African Union’s failure to take action in response to Ethiopia’s rejection
of the Eritrean-Ethiopian Boundary Commission’s final and binding ruling.
Though the AU, as one of the guarantors of the 2000 Algiers Peace Agreement
between Eritrea and Ethiopia, was expected to play a leading role in the international
community’s effort to end the conflict between the two nations legally and
peacefully, all the world has heard so far from the organization is a deafening
silence.
The
birth of the African Union in the summer of 2002 renewed Africa’s hope for
a more effective continental organization to deal with the scourge of conflicts. The Eritrean-Ethiopian border conflict,
which claimed tens of thousands of lives, provided the organization with a
perfect opportunity to show its leadership in curbing conflicts because all
it needed to do was for the AU leadership to tell both parties to the conflict to respect the rule of law.
The case was decided in an international court of law.
Unfortunately,
the AU leadership chose to remain silent instead. Could the AU’s silence and inaction be attributed to the fact
that the secretariat of the organization is located in Ethiopia? We strongly
believe that the host nation has greatly compromised the integrity and independence
of the AU, as it did that of the OAU.
This
has series implications for peace efforts in the continent, but especially
in the Horn of Africa. Ethiopia’s rejection of the “final and
binding” decision and the AU’s silence has set a dangerous precedent and it
invites lawlessness, leading to more, rather than less, conflicts in the already
conflict-ridden continent.
Therefore,
we ask you to take an immediate and bold action to stop Ethiopia’s belligerence
and lawlessness. We believe that this silence has encouraged more intransigence
on the Ethiopian side.
The price of inaction today
will be too high for Africa and Africans to pay tomorrow.
Sincerely,