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In
my few years in Ethiopia, I have rarely been so
concerned that the future looked so bleak. Though I
am a positive thinker and trust in the constancy of
progress, these last weeks have been rather
demoralising when contemplating the nation's
position.
What logic exists in one of the poorest nations on
the planet waging war on the scale that is evidenced
today? With all that the Ethiopian Defence Forces (EDF)
are up to these days, you would think Ethiopia had
money to burn. The EDF is nine months into a
military campaign in neighbouring Somalia, has
stepped up troop deployments on the Eritrean border
and has a large presence in the Somali Regional
State.
Each one of these troop deployments has its own
logic behind it and arguments exist for maintaining
them. Still, I cannot help but wonder what they all
cost.
How many troops does Ethiopia have and how many are
in conflict situations? What do these military
operations cost? These are questions every Ethiopian
deserves to have answered and not least because it
is their money that is being spent.
Even if soldiers are not very well paid, they need
equipment, foodstuffs, water and fuel. Think about
what all that is costing, each hour of every day. I
cannot help but think that there are many more
useful things that this money could be spent on. I
would wager that the vast majority of Ethiopian
mothers would prefer to see their children go to
school well fed than to see their taxes spent on
supporting conflict. Of course, the very controversy
of the issue is probably why the government does not
disclose this information.
I
am at a virtual loss to explain the recent rash of
military operations. They seem to contradict so much
of the other goals put forward by the Revolutionary
Democrats. Improving the economy and livelihoods is
not done through war. War destroys infrastructure,
reputations and lives. It undermines the future.
The national security threat posed by the terrorist
acts of the Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF)
must be combated, the Islamic extremist rebels in
Somalia threaten regional stability and Eritrea is
as belligerent as ever. However grave these
situations may be, the remedy chosen may be as bad
as having let things run their course.
Every week, reports of violence in Somalia have been
coming in. Roadside bombings, grenade attacks and
even a few suicide bombers have repeatedly targeted
Ethiopian troops.
How many of these have died in this occupation?
Nobody knows, or at least those who do are not
telling.
The costs of war are rising daily and there is too
little discussion about what that means. It means
that efforts, tremendous ones, are going into
largely negative pursuits. It means that money is
squandered and that soldiers are dying. It means
that civilians are caught in a life under military
rule and that new generations of soldiers are being
groomed for warfare. It means that futures are being
sacrificed for the satisfaction of present
priorities decided by too few.
The EDF is not designed to rebuild, to promote
wellbeing or even to cooperate with civilians. The
places they are now occupying are not benefiting
from their presence; armies do not work like that,
at least not in the short term. Worse, in conflict
the soldiers themselves are being shaped by many
experiences that none should carry with them. They
will bring these home one day. Or they might not
come home at all.
The safety of ordinary citizens is the first and
most important responsibility of any state. It is in
the name of this that the government has taken on
foes from all sides. Yet, in claming to defend some,
they are jeopardising the wellbeing of countless
others. According to numerous reports, extraordinary
measures used in the Somali region to deprive the
ONLF of local support are harming civilians just as
badly as they might be harming the rebels, if not
worse. The livelihoods of Somali region inhabitants
are just as much the responsibility of the Ethiopian
government as are those of Addis Abeba residents.
There may come times when military action is
necessary. Its impacts, however, are so devastating
that it is the responsibility of decision makers to
weigh the implications of these choices carefully.
The horrors of warfare are so devastating that every
Ethiopian has a right to know what choices are being
made. They also have the right to agree or disagree
with these.
The world is again beginning to view the Horn of
Africa as a hot spot and Ethiopia as a source of
trouble. Tourism is down, except for returning
Diaspora arriving in time for the Millennium
celebrations. Foreign currency is not as easy to get
as it might appear with such bad publicity, and, as
a result, the entire future of the nation is being
undermined.
The opposition has a job to do in getting the facts
and figures out to the people and in asking for
accountability. The government has a responsibility
to protect all of its citizens' rights in making
decisions that affect them. The media must do more
to support public discourse. The very last thing
anyone should do is to let this situation continue
without questioning the best course of action.
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