The importance of reporting facts in Somalia is priceless

Legesse Geleta

Nov 27, 2007

The recent Washington Post Editorial about the horn of Africa is no different from the previous ones. Ethiopia fought alongside America and the rest of UN troops during the UN conflict in Korea with discipline and professionalism in 1951. Just recently, the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) awarded medals to Ethiopian troops who provided security and humanitarian services to the previously war-torn Liberia . Our proud troops are not doing this because Ethiopia is in abundance but due to our historical respect for our duties in the African Union and the UN. Likewise, our Ethiopian troops assisted the Somalia transitional government that requested our help and they are once again fulfilling their AU duties in discipline and professionalism. So, for Washington Post Editorial to randomly label them as “undisciplined Ethiopians” in your latest editorial is very wrong and inappropriate. To vilify the Ethiopian and Somalia governments just because the islamists, and media networks who functioned as the left wing of the islamists during their rule, said so, is unprofessional. Ethiopia has been fulfilling its AU and UN duties in many other African countries and creating stability in war-torn regions. Once again, Ethiopian troops are expected to make up the most number of the planned UN force to bring stability in Darfur of Sudan as well.  

On the issues in Mogadishu, it is important to stick to factual and verified information that showed the international community that the islamists proudly declared holy war on Ethiopia last year, admittedly worked with international jihadists, harbored bombers of US Embassies and wanted to (still seeking to) install a Taliban-style government all around east Africa. To ignore the islamists who used human shields and to ignore suicide bombers in Mogadishu and then mimic the anti-government propaganda of the same islamists to vilify the Somalia transitional government and their Ethiopian allies is wrong. To ignore the big destabilizing role played by insurgents is equivalent to blaming the death of more than 73 thousands civilians in Iraq on American troops. So reality shows that insurgencies are violent in nature and they need to create disasters in order to gain recruits.

Also, for the Washington Post editorial to cite the Somalis who used boats to cross over to Yemen as a new phenomenon is to ignore the same thing which has occurred for the last 16 years, mostly due to over a decade old conflicts and also typical economic aspirations of people from Third world nations. In contrast to what you portrayed, Ethiopia has endured the burden and Ethiopia has been a refugee heaven to hundreds of thousands of Somalis during the last 16 years of fighting in southern Somalia . Ethiopia hopes to bring an END to this nearly two decade old lawlessness in Somalia and its negative impacts on the region.

The makeup of the clan politics in Mogadishu will help us understand the issues. One of the actualities is that sub-clans of the Hawiye clan in Mogadishu are increasingly pressuring those who are sympathetic to the insurgency to pursue a peaceful path. So despite the violence in the northern part of Mogadishu , other places are improving. Ethiopian troops will thus leave as soon as enough African Union troops arrive. Some of the problems that need to be addressed are the humanitarian assistance that is deeply lacking and the financial assistance for AU troops who are ready but lack the funds.

Lastly, ignoring the Eritrean regime’s unashamed assistance to the insurgency is ignoring one of the sources of the whole problem. The several Eritrean shipments of weapons to the insurgency, as told by the UN Security Council, and the public Eritrean sheltering and political reinforcement for the terrorists and for the UN-wanted Hassan Dahir Aweys was expected to stir up legitimate complains of double standard by the west who is chasing around Al-Qaeda figures in the middle east but overlooking other top listed terrorists in Africa. Yet the public didn’t get such education about the facts from Washington Post.

The international community expects professional reporting from Washington Post as much as it got professionalism and dedication to AU & UN duties from Ethiopia . Any inappropriate reporting only misleads the public and drives out those interested in providing assistance to the Somali people who have been forgotten for 16 years without a government. Ethiopia stays committed to helping the Somalia transitional government get on its feet and fulfilling its UN duties.