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Ethiopia, despite its past exploits, has rarely been
subject to so much international attention. So many
things are all happening at once. The Millennium is
looming, the much criticised imprisonment of
opposition leaders and members of the press has been
ended, the war in Somalia goes on and the Ethiopian
Defence Forces (EDF) are getting a lot of attention
for alleged mistreatments inside their own borders.
In the list above, only half the news is actually
positive. Consider too that the Millennium and the
release of well-known prisoners are small and easily
measured events in comparison to a continuing war in
Somalia, the military crackdown in the Ogaden and
preparations for conflict with Eritrea.
Time and again, the EPRDF has shown its finesse in
manoeuvring public opinion; both inside the country
and outside it. Observers can only hope to catch a
glimpse of what really transpires in Ethiopia's
halls of power; they then spend great energy trying
to interpret these.
It is unsettling to realise how much goes on in this
country without the public's knowledge, let alone
their input. Most telling here are issues of
internal national policy, and recently, security
policy. Much is done in this world in the name of
the 'greater good'. In terms of national security,
it is a slippery slope. The recent news from the
Ogaden is particularly worrying in this regard.
In response to the hateful and deplorable actions of
the Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) in their
attack on a Chinese oil exploration site in the
Somali Regional State and numerous reports that
Eritrean and Somali interests are partly to blame,
the EDF has responded with weeks of gruelling
searches and combats in the region. The intention, I
assume, is to stamp out the ONLF before it can
entirely destabilise the region and weaken Ethiopian
sovereignty.
Things are bad in the Ogaden, really bad. And they
are getting worse. Foreign media have picked up on
the story and their reports are almost too horrible
to believe. They talk of EDF controls over the
Ogedani zones of the State, of terror tactics,
attacks on civilian targets, illegitimate detentions
and torture, food hoarding and an almost complete
state of siege for the inhabitants of the region
(travel bans and trading bans).
Oddly enough, nowhere could I feel further away from
the Ogaden than here in Addis Abeba. Somehow, news
about the happenings in that region is being
completely overlooked by the local media, while the
government feels it largely unnecessary to address
the issue. They provide us simply with repeated
assurances that the EDF would never act as the
foreign media portray them.
That would be great to believe. The real problem is
that we have no way of knowing. No facet of the
government is more secretive than the EDF. Official
troop numbers are not even known, despite assurances
that it is one of Africa's biggest military.
The situation in the Ogaden has gotten severe enough
that all of the United Nations (UN) heads of
agencies felt it justified to hold an emergency
meeting in Jijiga this week. Information also
surfaced that the International Committee of the Red
Cross (ICRC) had been told to leave the Ogaden by
the EDF. The ICRC is charged with the strictly
neutral role of documenting human rights abuses and
has no mandate to make their findings public. Loved
or hated, this is a sacred role. Only if the EDF
expects conditions to worsen in the near future
would they feel justified in sending away the ICRC.
Again, all I can do from my desk is to speculate. It
is all any of us can do, and that is what bothers me
most. I cannot believe the New York Times and
I cannot believe the Ethiopian government. The
recent freeing of opposition leaders is great news,
but it makes me worry that our attention is being
diverted. I feel the same way about the hubbub
surrounding the Millennium.
One solution can resolve questions around conditions
in the Ogaden. That is to send independent observers
and allow media to investigate. Such a solution
would necessarily require that both the EDF and the
ONLF be consulted prior to sending investigators and
provide their assurance of safe passage. Three teams
of 20 could be sent, each including members of
Parliament (EPRDF and opposition), a few
journalists, NGO representatives, doctors and
regional experts.
It is unlikely that anyone in the government will
accept this proposition.
Instead, it seems likely that we will all be
required to sit in the dark for some time longer;
until the UN bodies actually pronounces itself on
the issue. If that actually comes about, you can be
certain that the international pressure on Ethiopia
will only get stronger. Which only adds reason to my
suggestion as it would help settle the issue far
quicker and with less controversy.
Does Ethiopia really want the kind of attention
Sudan gets for its Darfur region?
The international attention focused on Ethiopia
today is as puzzled as the opinions within it. The
opposing views are not being addressed by neutral
facts and the debates have no obvious ends. Of
course, confusion may be exactly what the government
wants most of all; as only it can see clearly.
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