The EPRDF government has always characterized the organizations and people that it considers enemies by using unflattering names. The oppositions leaders in prison are genocidal, armed groups against it are anti peace and most importantly today all anti TPLF Somalis are terrorists. Propaganda works in mysterious ways and some of these catch while others flounder. In the most unfortunate of circumstances for Somalis, the Islamic Court Union label caught. Not with Ethiopians, or other insightful observers but with the most important recipient of Ethiopia's intelligence, the US State Department.
Prime Minister Meles' strategy of launching a large war as a means of liquidating as many enemies as possible has started. He articulated these enemies as an alliance of armed groups in Ethiopia [such as OLF, ONLF, EPPF, etc…], unarmed groups [such as Kinijit], Eritrea and Somalia's ICU. Most sources indicate that the US State Department has helped him to secure UNSC approval for his military adventure while other western nations publicly denounced the resolution as they implicitly supported it.
Most Ethiopian opposition groups have now understood that Meles can do no bad in the eyes of most western establishments. Apart from the occasional pretentious remark, the west is comfortable with the way he deals with his people and the people of the region. In other words, the west has accepted that all people who are bad to Meles are bad to the world without any need to investigate the merits of his claim. The fact that the loosely organized Somali ICU had some leaders who were allegedly associated with terrorists has come to mean that the organization is a terrorist organization. By this measure any one at any location with any political view can be found to be a terrorist simply by irritating Ethiopia's ruling regime.
We have witnessed Ethiopia's suffering of the past 18 months being ignored by all the important institutions of the world including the AU, UN, Humanitarian organizations and most importantly western governments. Most of us cried foul at the hypocrisy of these institutions and disparaged at the cowardice of many people who would not speak up. We can not do as they did at this time. Which ever way one analyzes the present situation, Somalis are being invaded by a neighboring country's irresponsible government that wishes to impose street gangsters masquerading as politicians on them.
The ICU may have had some terrorists, but removing those individuals was much easier than executing a full invasion of a country that had just emerged from 15 years of chaos and insecurity. One only needs to think of what their home town would be like under similar condition with women unable to walk the streets and warlords manning streets for bribes. Religion and Ethiopia's national interest have nothing to do with this invasion. Everyday it is becoming clearer to all who wish to open their eyes and see that this war is about creating the conditions for the frustration of Ethiopia's democratic march.
We are ashamed that this war is being fought in the name of Ethiopians because history will surely remember it for its most devastating result; the destruction of Somali society and their most basic hopes of statehood and peace. Ethiopians in the US in particular have to work hard at changing the course by helping to remove US support for the regime. There are many political means of working towards this. The most important of these is to show people in power that US interests are not being served by the suffering of regular people in the horn. Ethiopians need to tell the truth now in order for their truth to be heard later.
Prime Minister Meles' strategy of launching a large war as a means of liquidating as many enemies as possible has started. He articulated these enemies as an alliance of armed groups in Ethiopia [such as OLF, ONLF, EPPF, etc…], unarmed groups [such as Kinijit], Eritrea and Somalia's ICU. Most sources indicate that the US State Department has helped him to secure UNSC approval for his military adventure while other western nations publicly denounced the resolution as they implicitly supported it.
Most Ethiopian opposition groups have now understood that Meles can do no bad in the eyes of most western establishments. Apart from the occasional pretentious remark, the west is comfortable with the way he deals with his people and the people of the region. In other words, the west has accepted that all people who are bad to Meles are bad to the world without any need to investigate the merits of his claim. The fact that the loosely organized Somali ICU had some leaders who were allegedly associated with terrorists has come to mean that the organization is a terrorist organization. By this measure any one at any location with any political view can be found to be a terrorist simply by irritating Ethiopia's ruling regime.
We have witnessed Ethiopia's suffering of the past 18 months being ignored by all the important institutions of the world including the AU, UN, Humanitarian organizations and most importantly western governments. Most of us cried foul at the hypocrisy of these institutions and disparaged at the cowardice of many people who would not speak up. We can not do as they did at this time. Which ever way one analyzes the present situation, Somalis are being invaded by a neighboring country's irresponsible government that wishes to impose street gangsters masquerading as politicians on them.
The ICU may have had some terrorists, but removing those individuals was much easier than executing a full invasion of a country that had just emerged from 15 years of chaos and insecurity. One only needs to think of what their home town would be like under similar condition with women unable to walk the streets and warlords manning streets for bribes. Religion and Ethiopia's national interest have nothing to do with this invasion. Everyday it is becoming clearer to all who wish to open their eyes and see that this war is about creating the conditions for the frustration of Ethiopia's democratic march.
We are ashamed that this war is being fought in the name of Ethiopians because history will surely remember it for its most devastating result; the destruction of Somali society and their most basic hopes of statehood and peace. Ethiopians in the US in particular have to work hard at changing the course by helping to remove US support for the regime. There are many political means of working towards this. The most important of these is to show people in power that US interests are not being served by the suffering of regular people in the horn. Ethiopians need to tell the truth now in order for their truth to be heard later.
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