AU’S PRO- ABYSSINIAN STANCE BEWILDERING

Mar 02, 2005  

Ogaden Online Editorial

At the inception of the Somali reconciliation conference in Kenya, one of the first issues agreed upon by all signatories and those privy to the details, was that no armies from the neighbouring countries will be part and parcel of any future peace keeping force in Somalia. The issue of foreign armies and who and who can not be part of was seen as a deal breaker for many of the participants thus the written agreement and guarantee that the issue was no starter as far as the Somalis and the international community were concerned. AU was at the forefront of those who rightly believed that bringing in neighbouring troops to Somalia would only add fuel to the Somali civil strife. What baffles and bewilders many though including our editorial board is what caused AU to change its position and authorize Abyssinian invasion in Somalia in the name of IGAD?

As we have rightly pointed out in our earlier posting about the ramifications of sending Abyssinian militia to Somalia, we inherently believe that Abyssinia is not a force to be trusted to the Somali affairs. It has been part and parcel of the Somali civil strife by arming many of the warlords who now form the bulk of both TSG’s parliament and cabinet. Its intension is not to help but rather to hinder any peace initiatives that would result the resolution of the long running Somali civil war. Listening to today’s press conference held by the diminutive Abyssinian prime minister not only confirms long held Somali suspicions but also confirms what the Abyssinian intensions are in regards to their offer of troop deployment in Somalia. Labelling the chorus of condemnations and rejection of Abyssinian troops  emanating from many corners of Somalia as those of the “views of minority” and insisting that “Ethiopia stands ready to send peacekeepers to war-ravaged Somalia, despite opposition from some Somali faction leaders, among others” only shows that Mr Zenawi is ready to settle an old score with the Somalis. A sane mind would ponder and pause to ask why would Abyssinia want to spend their ‘own money’ to send troops when the world body is ready to help the Somalis? How can Abyssinia have money to spend troops invading another country when many in Ogadenia and many parts of Ethiopia are dying of hunger and disease due to lack of food and drinking water? Was it not only a couple of months ago that Mr Zenawi was roaming the world in search of funds to ‘help’ famine victims as his government was too poor and broke to help alleviate the famine suffering?

The more one analyses the actions of the AU, the more one becomes convinced that AU is in collusion with Abyssinia to prolong the suffering of the Somali populace. The recently concluded ‘fact finding mission’ in Somalia is a case in point. Supposedly the mission’s stated objectives were to gather the opinions of the Somalis in regards to the deployment of foreign troops in their country. One would assume that such a mission be led by scholars well versed with how to research public opinions. Also one would expect that such missioners visit almost every Somali city, town and village to get a broad perspective in regards to Somali thinking about any future foreign troop deployment in Somalia. Instead the mission consisted of an ex-Somali general close to the current Somali president, a Ugandan, Kenyan and an Abyssinian. One can not expect a team of such composition to first visit all of Somalia and then report views contrary to those of their respective governments. This is exactly what happened as the group visited four Somali cities whose warlords are pro-Abyssinian and in favor of Abyssinian troop deployment in Somalia. Mogadishu was scouted by the team and as some Somali sources privy to the group’s details claim the main objective was to prepare for a future invasion. AU should be wise not to endorse the report of such a team due to its bias in composition as well as their selective visits of some cities and towns while bypassing others whose views might not have been favorable to foreign troop deployment.

Resolving the Somali conflict and restoring peace and prosperity to the war weary Somali citizenry should the priority and the concern of the world community. Leaving Abyssinia to rekindle the ever diminishing Somali civil strife is not in the best interest of the world community. We believe that helping Somalia re-establish law and order will in turn contribute to the safety and security of not only the people of the horn but also those far away as America. We urge America to listen to the sage words recently spoken by its Ambassador in Kenya. America should take a leading role in making sure that Abyssinia does not succeed in destroying the results of more than two years of investment by the world community. Abyssinia should be confined to resolve its own internal problems. AU should also rethink about its pro-Abyssinian stance as it does not help its pro African image by siding with an unstable, pro-colonization country such Abyssinia.

See related story:
  Ramifications of Authorizing Abyssinian Aggression Against Somalia
  CONSTITUTIONAL CONSPIRACY: Ethiopia’s Secret Plan To Put Somalia In Check
 

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