National Consensus Forum

Message to Aljazeera Television

We, the members of the  Consensus Forum (NCF) of Ethiopia, were saddened by the recent series of Aljazeera programmes on the Somali region of Ethiopia.

The  Forum  promotes  peace building activities among people of the  horn   by focusing on shared common values  towards the creation of consensus   and the recent Aljazeera programme  is detrimental  to our objective.

We do not believe that the situation in the Somali region of Ethiopia, which you sought to highlight, is well served by a programme with such an inimical propaganda content. We ourselves have witnessed, during our field visits to the region, the ongoing process of enhancing of multi-faceted development programmes and the democratic space which the government of Ethiopia has rightly provided.

Any responsible media is duty-bound to emphasise the importance of this process and urge other actors to join these efforts. The Aljazeera programme employed, in this instance, not only sub-standard journalistic qualities, but became a victim of reporters who are famous in the region for their frequent biased attitude and reportage against Ethiopia.

Some of us are inclined to believe, through the evidence of this act by Aljazeera, that the establishment has become the stooge of its paymaster, the Qatari Government and its henchman President Isaias Aferwerki of Eritrea. Since this exercise is not in the interests and reputation of Aljazeera we would humbly advise it to refrain from this kind of lob-sided broadcasting which does not factor in the objective reality unfolding in the Somali region.

We are available at any time to discuss openly with the management of Aljazeera this and other issues related to Ethiopia and our sub-region.

Executive Committee

National Consensus  -UK

Tel :020 7838 3878