War Mongerism

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By: Bekele G. Mulatu
06/07/06)

Woldu Sebagadis's article, entitled, "My Three Stage Peace Plan" (AIGA Forum) is the most asinine and a grand epiphany invented overnight, for the sole consumption of the writer himself. I don't know what else to say it.
Knowing that the article contains that undeniable and urgent desire for the advent of the destructive war by these two sister countries, I could have said "here we go again!" in the grand style of Regan, mocking Carter, in their 1979 presidential debate.

Here is what Woldu said, and I want him to listen to himself, believing that his epiphany is ephemeral, believing that Woldu will retrieve all his five senses and, believing that Woldu can extricate himself from the compressed and limited state he had left himself in.

He said: “The Ethiopian government is committing a serious blunder if it allows the border demarcation to commence before war reparations are paid by the Eritrean Government…” then he added, “ If demarcation takes place before war reparations are paid, Ethiopia will never get a single cent from Eritrea simply because Eritrea is poor and bankrupt.”

Now let me ask: If this doesn’t sound an oxymoron, what does? Why should the Ethiopian government even ask Eritrea for war preparation if it knows that the money wouldn’t be there?

Why bother?

The wisest counsel would have been for these combatant old friends to calm down their animosities and push for peace (then work out their differences, devise a plan for reparation payment and finish the demarcation), but Woldu’s beat is war. That’s why I said, Here we go again!

If he is promoting the idea of peace through strength, I think I can see that point. But, to completely throw out all weapons of negotiations, to neglect the fact that the lives of over three hundred souls are at stake here, is, trust me, makes the world nervous. Antagonizing articles at this point will not help either Ethiopia or Eritrea.

Mr. Woldu continues in his article, “It is a fundamental fact that, the position of a great majority of the rank and file EPRDF members on the issue of Eritrea is consistent with that of the rest of Ethiopia. Interestingly enough, the oppositions’ stated position on Eritrea and the coastline is also consistent with a vast majority of Ethiopia. The Prime Minister is wrong to insist that Ethiopian politicians must drop their belief that their nation's real border is still the Red Sea. (Emphasis mine and not of the writer’s.)


First of all, I don’t believe the Prime Minister is lecturing the Ethiopian people; I believe as an erudite leader he is trying to save his country from a reckless war, for if left to proceed, would annihilate the country’s reforms, progress and advances, achieved in the last fourteen years.

Peace, my friend, peace is what we desperately need.

Tell the prime minister to bring peace to Ethiopia, not by destroying Eritrea (and you don’t have guarantees for that either), but by bringing her to the fold.

Thank you.

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