Will the UN, USA, EU... silently witness the raping of Eritrea?

Will the UN, USA, EU... silently witness the raping of Eritrea through the eyes of UNMEE?
By: Mobae Afeworki
November 6, 2003

The UN, USA, EU, AU... are supposed to be the guarantors of the peace process that Ethiopia and Eritrea signed in Algiers at the end of what all peace-loving people thought was "the end" of the "border war" between the two. They told the world that the Boundary Commission's decision will have to be accepted by both countries, or else! ... or else! ... or else!

Witnessing Ethiopia's open contempt to the court that delimited the border and its open assault on the Commission and the Commissioners... Witnessing further that these "guarantors" are keeping mum and playing deaf, mute and blind, one does not need to be cynical to ask: Or else what?

Or else, what? Which is basically what the Ethiopian F.M and P.M. are asking these guarantor nations and organizations: "Or else, WHAT? Huh?" Ethiopia thumbing its nose on the Commission directly and the guarantors indirectly. It is time that Ethipia be told in no uncertain terms that its behavior is unacceptable and will have to face the consequence of its actions/inactions in a matter of weeks, if not days.

I suspect that it is this lack of support and failure of enforcement by the guarantors that has made the Commission to (temporarily?) close shop. Even in light of this devastating development, the guarantors have continued playing deaf, mute and blind. If they are playing silent diplomacy, it is not working -- it's time for all to come out in the open.

Which brings me to the question I ask myself time and again: Are these countries and organizations, "the guarantors," going to watch silently, this time through the eyes of their own representatives, viz. UNMEE, the raping of Eritrea? Seeing the millions of dollars/euros pouring on Ethiopia, I can but suspect that they are indeed going to keep quiet when (not if, unfortunately) Ethiopia re-ignites the conflict with Eritrea. I wonder when it will be clear to these countries and organizations that Ethiopia has to be reduced to size for peace to prevail in the Horn of Africa. "`nasemAe zdeqese Harmaz neynQnQo"? I wonder when it will be clear to them that the war that three year between two of the poorest of the poor nations that consumed tens of thousands was indirectly encouraged by them via their unlimited, althoug probably indirectly, funding of Ethiopia's war machinery. This time around, what Ethiopia needs is simply tough love.

Definitely NO to sanctions against Ethiopia, probably YES for forced regime change in Ethiopia

For anyone who failed to believe Ethiopia's numerous and, in my opinion, open invasion of Eritrea starting way back when, Ethiopia is now making it clear that there is going to be yet another invasion of Eritrea by Ethiopia. Those who chose "to err on the side of peace" by appeasing the constantly shifting Ethiopian demands, are finding that their choice was deadly. Deadly for both the Eritrean and Ethiopian people. It is now an open secret that its prime minister is telling us essentially in no uncertain terms, that Ethiopia will go to war if it cannot dictate its terms on the boundary commission. Those who are still in denial and believe that what Ethiopia is asking for is Badme village and dialogue may not be that bad... think again. Even if Badme, which Meles tells us is about 800-meters## from the boundary, is voluntarily to be given to Ethiopia, they will claim "40, 50, 60-km"deep inside Eritrea.... Now, I wonder where this stops and I wonder how long the guarantors of the peace process and the Algiers
' agreement will keep quiet before telling Ethiopia to abide by the decision it has already accepted and cheered. Failing to do this, the United Nations, the United States of America, the European Union, the African Union, and all those who proclaimed themselves to be the guarantor nations/organizations, are participating in raping Eritrea. The commission whose decision that these guarantors of peace swore to uphold and respect appears to be closing shop and the guarantors appear to be playing deaf, blind and mute.

Having said the above, I am of the opinion that there should be no sanctions on Ethiopia. If the minority government in Ethiopia is not willing to accept the decision of the independent commission, then the guarantors of peace should insist and go for a regime change in Ethiopia. Indeed, if the Ethiopian behavior continues, regime change in Ethiopia may only be the fair outcome of this. This talk of sanctions against Ethiopia may just be non-sensical. Sanctions hurt the people at the lowest of the low in societal hierarchy and probably damage future lives of the young and the clueless -- who are the prime victims of MaLeLiT, who are used and to be used as human mine sweepers. What should be advocated for is total embargo on Ethiopia against arms import and total diplomatic isolation where none of Ethiopia's leaders (anybody above a 100-aleqa) are allowed to go out of the country -- except, may be, to sign a deal with the boundary commission or the UN or the US or AU/OAU... to accept what they have ALREADY ac
cepted violently. The guarantors should give this only a couple of months to work. Failing that a clear timeline with a defined goal of regime change should be championed by the US with full backing of the international community, who are thought to be the guarantors of the peace deal.

And,... Awfully quiet at the AU/OAU headquarters, huh? Can you imagine.... Had it been Eritrea that had declared the "final and binding" boundary commission's decision as "null and void", the AU/OAU would have said by now: "...in the name of the OAU/AU, in my name and in the name of the peace loving African people, we solemnly ask you to again ACCEPT what you have accepted only a year ago...."

Finally, I hope my worst suspicions of the "guarantors" will be proven to be unfounded and I hope that I will be proven wrong. At the end of this disaster, again, Eritrea will have depended on no one, but its own people....