Ramifications of Authorizing Abyssinian Aggression Against Somalia

Feb 10, 2005  

Ogaden Online Editorial

The recent news from AU towards the authorization of "IGAD-read Ethiopia" member contribution of military personnel for the pacification of the Somali militias is very troubling on many fronts. It is a fact found in many history books that Abyssinia and Somalia are sworn enemies who fought many wars. Ethiopia currently colonizes Ogadenia whose inhabitants are of Somali brethren. Ethiopia now occupies or worse has its own proxy militias in many parts of Somalia from the north to as far as Baidoba in the south where there are musings of making it the new capital. It is therefore mind boggling to many Somalis and to the rest of the sane human being minus the scambugs in suits at AU headquarters in Addis Ababa, why it, AU, will overlook all the aforementioned actualities and authorize Ethiopia in the name of IGAD to send troops to Somalia. It is our inherent belief that this resolution, which Ethiopia incessantly campaigned for and appears to have finally won as a concession for its comical acting as a concerned neighbor, will if implemented only create more chaos and provide more powder keg for the bloodshed of the once proud, powerful but now downtrodden Somali citizenry.

It is both counter productive and against international peacekeeping protocol to ask a country's sworn enemy to contribute militarily towards its peace seeking efforts. Asking Ethiopia or giving it the green light to forcefully interfere with the Somali affairs at a time when all the nascent Somali government now in Kenya needs is a financial support and an ever-present threat of the war criminal label for problematic and un co-operative warlords is futile. Sending Abyssinian militias, in the name of a peacekeeping mission, to the Somali Republic is metaphorically like asking Israel to help Syria stand on its own feet after along period of civil strife. It appears that black Africa never learns from its history. If, ECOWAS, whose contributing members had unstated economic interests in Liberia but no historical enmity, could not stabilize their neigbor, what gives us hope that Ethiopia, a country in an unending civil strife itself and a sworn enemy of the Somali populace will bring peace, prosperity and the rule of law to lawless Somalia?

Zenawi, the ever-scheming Abyssinian midget, appears to have encountered successive, multipronged problems that he had been seeking creative solutions for. As a result of the expensive and futile military escapade in Eritrean Badme in 2000, he ended up with a large army of mostly illiterate, untrained and unruly ethnic militias dominated by his Tigrayan people. In order to create employment and a diversionary target, he sent many of his militias to Ogadenia with the intention of overwhelming both the civilians and the armed freedom fighters of ONLF. Zenawi’s marauding militias could not have a regular, sustained face-to-face contact with these fighters since they were hit mostly at night, on the road, and from unexpected places, they become disillusioned and started fighting amongst themselves. Some escaped to neighboring countries such as Djibouti, Eriteria, Kenya and Yemen. While still struggling with what to do with the militias he now could not feed regularly, the unfortunate events of 9/11 happened. Zenawi thought he could exploit American misfortune by claiming that there were armed ‘Islamic Terrorists’ in Ogaden, which he claimed to have been fighting since 1997. In order to eradicate them he requested both financial support as well as military equipment for his army from the US government. To his dismay, America decided to pursue the alleged ‘terrorists’ in Ogaden by using their Special Forces and created bases in Djibouti, which resulted neither military support nor the financial windfall Zenawi thought he would receive as a result of his support. To the contrary it appears having American troops to scour Ogadenia for Zenawi’s terrorists have had the unintended consequence of exposing to the outside world the suffering and lack of development faced by the Ogaden population.

Sensing the financial goodies he thought he will receive from the USA were not forthcoming and in search of natural ports for his landlocked country, Zenawi thought he could use the Somali ports such as Berbera, Bosaso, and Kismayo at no cost with the use of his army to provide the logistics of moving the goods from the Somali ports to Abyssinia proper. What he did not realize were the many hurdles he will face were he to realize his ambition. Chief among the obstacles were the fact though Somalia was in turmoil and had no central government, however it was an independent country with a ‘border’ he could not allow his army to cross at will without attracting international condemnation and possible sanctions. Even if he were to succeed in getting the goods from the ports, transportation would expose his army to both unhappy Somalis wanting to harm them as well as the armed freedom fighters in Ogadenia who would welcome the opportunity to have large columns of slow, goods-laden transport trucks and an exposed, escorting army to waylay. It is with the intention of getting an unimpeded access to the Somali ports and to control the destiny of the Somali nation that Zenawi fervently involved his government in the Somali reconciliation process from its inception. It is no secret that Ethiopia with Kenyan blessing or appeasement played a key role in creating a numerically uncontrollable parliament as well as cabinet so that those who oppose Abyssinian agenda will be drowned out which is what happened during the recent cabinet authorization of the deployment of IGAD-Abyssinian forces in Somalia even though it was explicitly made clear at the beginning of the conference that no IGAD troop involvement in Somalia will neither be welcome nor acceptable. What is inexplicable is what caused AU’s change of heart towards the deployment of IGAD-Abyssinian troops in Somalia?

Abyssinian intensions towards Somalia are clear. Abyssinia wants to control the Somali soul as well as economy. It has schemes for the use of the many Somali ports. It plans to create another colony. It is clear that it has already calculated that it cannot control all of Somalia as the Somali fabric, culture, and religion will always present armed opposition. However it is counting on the fact that having its military inside Somalia with AU blessing will at least enable her to milk whatever benefits it can accrue from its ‘official’ presence while prolonging the suffering of the war weary Somali citizenry who yearn for the return of relative peace. The world should not fail the Somali nation by allowing a country harboring such historical enmity as well as economic domination plans to provide a supposedly stabilization force. Allowing Ethiopia to assume a peace keeping role inside Somalia reminds of a story in the Somali folklore where a hyena was once asked to be the shepherd to which he laughed incessantly knowing what the ramifications of fulfilling such a request are going to be.

See related story:
  CONSTITUTIONAL CONSPIRACY: Ethiopia’s Secret Plan To Put Somalia In Check
 

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