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Ethiopian
Threats of Convenience |
While the rest of the world cautiously
welcomed the defeat of warlords in
Mogadishu, Ethiopia was the first country to
comment negatively on the new Somali
development. Instead of adopting a wait and
see approach to see what this development
means to the rest of horn of Africa region,
Ethiopia immediately claimed that a threat
was developing at its borders. Unless
Ethiopia's border with the Somali Republic
moved overnight, Mogadishu is further away
from the Ethiopian border.
This immediate claim of a developing threat
makes no sense to the sage mind. It is hard
for anyone to fathom how a motley militia
which has not even completed taking over all
of Mogadishu can immediately threaten a
neighboring country regardless of whether
this country happens to be an arch enemy of
the Somali Republic.
The actions, the current head of the regime
in Addis Ababa undertook following
pronouncements of a real 'threat' at the
border are indicative of a plan that was put
in place long before the motley Islamic
militias have taken over Mogadishu. This
plan called for a full scale invasion of
Somalia at the most opportune time by Tigrey
led militias in the name of Ethiopian
military.
This plan also advocated the use of
deflective tactics to put out uncorroborated
stories of Eriterian aid to the Islamic
militias. The fact that Ethiopian militias
have not only amassed on the Somali border
but some have already crossed deep into
Somali territory proves the point that Meles
Zenawi is using the Islamic courts victory
as an excuse to settle scores with the once
proud but now downtrodden Somali nation.
It is important to answer the question what
does Ethiopia gain from involving itself and
its meager military resources in Somalia.
For one Zenawi gets a ready made solution to
deflect attention away from his military
failures in both Ogaden and at the Eritrean
border towns which he is forced to give up
as per the border commission judgments in
favor of Eritrea. Two, he wraps himself on
the Ethiopian flag and its colonial history
by claiming to be restoring Ethiopia's lost
military might in the horn of Africa.
It is questionable whether the nation will
follow him blindly but at least he busies
the military and his own motley militia into
a war since at war time, people have other
things to occupy their minds rather than
psycho analyze the current, derelict state
of Ethiopian affairs. Three he hopes to use
the Somali military invasion to immediately
declare state of emergency in order to
further weaken any internal popular
apprising against his dying regime. It is
incumbent on the world community not to fall
for Ethiopian threats of convenience.
The world community should not only warn
Ethiopia against invading Somalia but also
it, world community, must take concrete
steps in making sure that Zenawi and his
minions in Addis Ababa are severely
penalized for involving Ethiopia in the
affairs of the Somali republic. The world
community should not allow Zenawi to
transport, in the name of fighting terror,
his own problems to the Somali republic.
Zenawi must be forced to resolve the long
standing Ogaden problem rather than talk of
Ethiopian threats of convenience.
editorial@ogaden.com
Ogaden Online Editorial
June 30, 2006 |
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