Will Ethiopia Transcend?

By Atnaf Segeued

There are those that tell us not to give advice to Prime Minister Meles Zenawi Ethiopia on critical and urgent matters concerning the security and well being of our country especially on the Eritrean problem. They even forward pleas to the aid givers not to extend aids and grants to our beloved Ethiopia. Are they hurting Meles or the Ethiopian people? Do they think the aid and grant givers will consider this absurdity anyway? Leaders come and leaders go, but the eternity of our country and its people will continue for eternity. And the Ethiopian people need Aid now. Just what is the rationale of saying no advice and no aid for Ethiopia then? Are you friends or foes of Ethiopia? Mistakes can be made and excused if not repeated.

Meles is the present leader of Ethiopia and can steer the country in the right or the wrong direction, the latter not purposely of course. He has made many mistakes especially in his handling of the Eritrean problem. But he has done many good things too which I will not go into detail because Berhane Kahsay has expounded some of them masterfully in his article headed “What Solidarity.” Please refer to the various websites available and read his very commendable article.

Meles’s handling of the Eritrean problem is not in the best interest of Ethiopia, neither is it for Eritrea, as Eritrea cannot exist as a viable economy without Ethiopia. He has brought Ethiopia to the verge of disintegration due to the wrong handling of the Eritrean problem and will take Ethiopia to the abyss if he is not careful this time around. He has to listen to the Ethiopian people. He has to protect the Ethiopian people. He has to come out in the open and reject the EEBC ruling and work hard towards unity. This is the last straw as the proverbial saying goes that will break not the camel’s back, but Ethiopia’s back this time if he accepts the biased, impartial and dangerous EEBC ruling! This is the most serious problem that Ethiopia is facing. Accepting this means handing death sentence to Ethiopia. There are elements both inside and outside waiting to take advantage of this precedence to dissect this proud ancient nation into pieces! Meles must not tamper with this delicate and sensitive fabric that has kept Ethiopia for thousands of years intact thanks to the wisdom and bravery of our ancestors. The EEBC blindly pronounced Ethiopia to nonexistent, they conveniently forgot “what is in it for the winners of the war of aggression”, they ignored that the spoils go to the victors! Precedences of past wars have prescribed steps they could have followed. Procedures followed by the winners of the World War II. They made the most terrible mistake on purpose. Their chief in NYC said that the EEBC decision is a wise decision. Is he serious? Is it a wise decision to sentence Ethiopia for disintegration? Shouldn’t the wish and dignity of the Ethiopian people be respected? They don’t want to be given away as goods or articles to the enemy. They are saying that they will fight to the finish against being forcefully sold to the enemy. What kind of despise is this to Ethiopia and its people. Doesn’t Mr. Kofi Annan know that Ghana is independent because of Ethiopia? I believe he knows. Isn’t Ethiopia the forerunner and banner of African freedom? That Ethiopia has never been colonized? That Ethiopia helped and led the freedom of Africa? How can Mr. Annan bless a biased and impartial dangerous ruling? Such dangerous rulings will reverberate all over Africa. Perhaps this is an intrigue coined by enemy elements with hidden agenda for Africa.

The Great Kwame Nkrumah used to come for advice to Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia before the independence of Ghana. The UN chief is supposed to have respect and dignity for the leader of African independence. He is supposed to be grateful, sincere, and impartial. Is What the EEBC has done wise as Mr. Annan says? We know and remember that Mr.Annan was siding openly with the Eritreans when they blatantly aggressed Ethiopia and we don’t expect him to do anything right this time either. Anyway, our leaders will never accept blindly a death sentence to their country. Ethiopia won the war of aggression, took back its land, and was pursuing the defeated retreating Eritrean army and could have decided the fate of Eritrea, which was Ethiopia’s coastal province for thousands of years though the colonialists took it during the scramble for Africa. We Ethiopians earnestly entreat all concerned not to pressure or threaten our leaders to accept death sentence to our country knowing full well that this will indeed disintegrate Ethiopia. It is absurd and stupid to say a ruling that will decide the fate of Ethiopia to be like that of Somalia or Yugoslavia “Final And Binding.” This will affect the fate of Black Africa likewise. This ruling is not carved in stone by God! It cannot be accepted! It is the last straw that will break Ethiopia’s back! And Africa’s back! Nothing is more dangerous to Ethiopia and Africa than this so called final and binding ruling! Meles must listen and listen wisely. An Ethiopian leader has responsibility not only for Ethiopia but also for the whole of Africa. Where is Meles going? To the pantheon of discredited leaders?

I have read the misleading article “Stop warmongering”, by Paulos M. Natael published in the Addis Tribune on 05, 05,03. With due respect, we would like to inform him that we do not need his advice that we can use the Assab and Massawa ports for the good of Ethiopia and Eritrea. He also preaches that Ethiopia and Eritrea can live happily ever after in peace if Ethiopia uses the ports. It sounds good, but he either forgot or he is purposely trying to mislead Ethiopians and the world. Not with the present regime in Asmara mind you. But we will after Isayas is gone one way or another. We have no quarrel with the Eritrean masses. When someone before you (Paulos) commented that the ports of Assab and Massawa would serve the best interest of the West and Israel if they were under Ethiopia rather than Eritrea now that Eritrea has joined the Arab League, you reasoned that the joining with the Arab League this time is only temporary, for temporary interests only and not permanent. Is this not ambivalence? Is this not double dealing? Neither the Arabs nor the West and Ethiopia will trust you anymore. You also accused the Ethiopian government, which you call Weyane, (you never learn) for unceremoniously deporting Eritreans from Ethiopia. Was it not Shabia group that is the Eritreans who first deported over one million Ethiopians? We shall never forget the fact that the Eritreans (SHABIA) vandalized Ethiopian property worth billions of US dollars at the ports of Assab and Massawa and from the Ethiopians they deported almost naked! Who will trust the Shabia anymore? You also advice that we can live without the vast fertile Ethiopian territories stretching 1000Km. from Badme and its environs to Bure. Thanks for the advice but we cannot live without our land. You rightly pointed out that giving these vast lands to Eritrea would cause serious consequences to Ethiopia. Then, why are you trying to cause serious consequences to Ethiopia if you are a good adviser? We see that you desperately want to take that which is not yours as always. We shall not give up our land and besides, the people there abhor to be Eritrea’s and they will fight for remaining Ethiopians. Ethiopia fought for the independence of Eritrea at the expense of thousands of young Ethiopians for which the Eritreans are ungrateful. Instead they uprooted thousands of Ethiopians from their settlements and massacred thousands more when their mechanized army invaded Badme and its environments. These are the very people whose young sons and daughters died fighting for Eritrea’s independence. Our leaders made a serious mistake to let the Eritreans free. May be they naively thought this would bring peace. But this brought more disastrous wars. The Eritreans fought unjustifiably against Yemen, Sudan, Djibouti and Ethiopia. They are acting like a puppy let loose! Now they are threatening to unleash war against Ethiopia unless Ethiopia hands over its rightful and eternal lands to them. Is this living in peace with Ethiopia? And yet Paulos says stop warmongering to us when we are only saying we shall never give up our rightful land. Are you not contradicting yourself Mr. Paulos? Who is warmongering? We will not be first to start war you know that. But if you start the war, Melees will not be allowed to save you as usual. Since the Eritrean independence did not bring peace, unity for sure will. And this we would like friends and foes alike to know. The Eritreans will bear the responsibility for starting the war, and the UN and its wing in The Hague for the wrong ruling, which is a recipe for war. They will both bear the responsibility for whatever happens as a consequence of it. Ethiopia Will Transcend, Ethiopia Will Prevail. Africa will transcend.

PS. I just read that the Italians are saying that they are unable to find a big aircraft to transport the Axum Obelisk back to where it belongs, Ethiopia. They can’t be serious. They are supposed to be a resourceful people. It would be naïve to suggest ideas to them, but they can do it in two or more trips, this will also solve the problem of the runway in Axum of not being able to take up the impact. They can collaborate with the Ethiopian Civil Aviation and Ethiopian Airlines Authorities.