Day: November 21, 2021

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken encouraged Tunisia’s leader to make reforms to respond to Tunisians’ hopes for “democratic progress,” the U.S. State Department said on Sunday, nearly four months after President Kais Saied seized political power.

Saied said last week he was working non-stop on a timetable for reforms to defuse growing criticism at home and abroad since he dismissed the cabinet, suspended parliament and took personal power in July.

Last week, thousands of Tunisians protested near parliament in the capital, demanding he reinstate the assembly, while major foreign donors whose financial assistance is needed to unlock an International Monetary Fund rescue package for the economy have urged him to return to a normal constitutional order.

“The Secretary encouraged a transparent and inclusive reform process to address Tunisia’s significant political, economic, and social challenges and to respond to the Tunisian people’s aspirations for continued democratic progress”, the State Department said in a statement about a call between Blinken and Saied.

It added that Blinken and Saied discussed recent developments in Tunisia, including the formation of the new government and steps to alleviate the economic situation.

A Tunisia presidency statement said earlier that the United States would offer support to Tunisia once it has announced dates for political reform.

Saied seized nearly all powers in July in a move his critics called a coup, a decade after the Arab Spring’s first and only successful pro-democracy uprising, before installing a new prime minister and announcing he would rule by decree.

Saied has defended his takeover as the only way to end governmental paralysis after years of political squabbling and economic stagnation, and he has promised to uphold rights and freedoms won in the 2011 revolution.

Source: Voice of America

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is warning that the worsening situation in Ethiopia puts at risk the “peace and stability” of the Horn of Africa.

The comments were made on Nov. 17, 2021 as Blinken began a five-day trip to Africa during which he will speak with regional leaders about concerns of an all-out civil war in the continent’s second most populous nation. The diplomatic mission follows criticism of the U.S. and the international community over its reaction to a conflict that has seen numerous accusations of war crimes.

The Conversation asked Dr. Gloria Emeagwali, professor of African history at Central Connecticut State University, to explain how the crisis in Ethiopia developed, and what hope there is for a path away from catastrophe.

Q>: What is the current situation in Ethiopia?

The conflict in the Tigray region in northern Ethiopia has now been going on for more than a year. While major fighting has been between the Tigray People’s Liberation Front, or TPLF, and Ethiopian government forces, armed groups from neighboring Eritrea have also been involved.

Q:> Get news that’s free, independent and evidence-based

The fighting has been particularly intense. Both the TPLF and federal government forces have been accused by the United Nations of human rights violations, including systematic ethnically based rape and massacres. Concern has recently turned to the risk of starvation for hundreds of thousands of people cut off from supplies.

And things could get worse. There is a risk of an all-out civil war engulfing Ethiopia’s population of 110 million.

Fighting has spread from the Tigray region, which was the focus of the early part of the conflict. The TPLF and its allies continue to move south from their base in Mekelle in the north, and have seized strategically important towns such as Lalibela and Dessie. The Ethiopian government has expressed fears that the fighting may soon engulf the capital Addis Ababa.

Q:> What is the immediate cause of the conflict in Ethiopia?

There is a long history to the fighting, but the spark to the current phase was an attack on federal troops based in Mekelle, by the TPLF, on Nov. 4, 2020. At least a thousand troops were kidnapped and an undefined number were killed by TPLF insurgents. This sparked a retaliatory strike by government forces and a declaration of a state of emergency by Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.

Q:> What is the broader context of the crisis?

For almost three decades, the TPLF controlled the government and military. During this period it gained enormous control over the country’s economy and land as well as over billions of dollars in aid received each year. The TPLF ruled in such a way that it redefined Ethiopia largely by ethnicity, with Tigrayans reaping most of the power.

Opposition to the TPLF-dominated government contributed in April 2018 to Abiy Ahmed’s election. As prime minister, Abiy began limiting the economic dominance of the TPLF and instituting more centralized federal policies.

The Abiy administration promised a new level of transparency, freed thousands of prisoners and brokered peace with neighboring Eritrea – leading to him winning the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize.

But even before then, political resentment was brewing. An assassination attempt on Abiy in June 2018 was followed by a deepening power struggle between the TPLF and the new administration.

Q:>How could all-out civil war affect the region?

A lengthy and bloody conflagration in Ethiopia would likely have ripple effects in neighboring Eritrea, Sudan and Kenya, with a steady flow of refugees, weapons and displaced population groups.

Any further instability is likely to embolden terrorist organizations such as Al-Shabab, which could spread westward into Ethiopia and even Sudan from its base in Somalia. This would shatter the effective containment model put in place by the previous and current Ethiopian governments.

More peaceful regions of the Horn – such as Djibouti and Somaliland – could attract terrorists seeking prisoners of war or forced recruits. A civil war could also worsen instability in Sudan, which itself is currently embroiled in a standoff between pro-democracy activists and the military.

As for Ethiopia itself, all-out civil war could be catastrophic, igniting tensions in a country that consists of more than 80 ethnic groups, and potentially leading to the break up of the country into unviable political entities and enclaves.

Q:> Why has there been criticism of the US response?

While the Biden administration has called for all “belligerents in the Tigray region” to agree to a ceasefire, Ethiopia and Eritrea have accused the U.S. of supporting the insurgents.

In a letter to the United Nations, Eritrean foreign minister Osman Saleh blamed the Biden administration of “stoking further conflict and destabilization” in Tigray, in a bid to “resuscitate the remnants of the TPLF regime.”

The Ethiopian government similarly accused the U.S. of meddling in the region and of “treating on equal footing” the democratically elected government and the TPLF – which the Ethiopian government declared a terrorist group in May 2021.

After Washington announced sanctions against all sides in the conflict in September, Abiy responded with an online letter to Biden accusing the U.S. administration of failing to “openly and sternly reprimand the terrorist group in the same manner it has been chastising my Government.”

A decision in early November to remove Ethiopia from a U.S. trade program over what Biden described as “gross violations” has only worsened relations with Abiy’s government.

Ethiopians suspect that U.S. foreign policy is being influenced in part by Washington’s support for Egyptian president Abdul Fattah al-Sisi in a dispute over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, an enormous hydroelectric power project on the Blue Nile that Ethiopia says it needs for a reliable electrical grid and economic development.

Ethiopia began filling the dam reservoir, which will take about five years, in July 2020. Yet Egypt, which sees the dam as a threat to its fresh water supplies, has said the dam reservoir should not be filled without a legal agreement about allocation of the Blue Nile’s water. Former U.S. President Donald Trump cut aid to Ethiopia in September 2020 with officials in his administration saying the country had not abided by its promise to resolve the dispute. It is important to note that the Dam was pioneered by the TPLF-led government under Meles Zenawi. Critics argue that any disintegration of Ethiopia would strengthen Egypt’s position in negotiations over the dam.

Q:> What can be done to avoid an all-out civil war?

It may be almost too late to avert an all-out civil war in Ethiopia. But pressure from the African Union and member states that border Ethiopia, along with engagement with civil organizations within the country, may push the warring parties towards peace talks.

Meanwhile, there are some actions that the main protagonists can take to bring down tensions. Declaring the TPLF a terrorist organization was likely a misguided policy by Abiy, and this could be rescinded as a gesture of goodwill. In return, the TPLF should recognize Abiy Ahmed as the democratically elected prime minister of Ethiopia – something they have refused to do so far.

As for the role of the U.S., the visit to the region by Secretary of State Blinken is long overdue. Rising anti-Americanism in Ethiopia resulting from the Biden administration’s stance on the Tigray conflict has helped push Ethiopia towards closer military and trade ties with Russia and Turkey.

Source: Dehai Eritrea Online

We in the Black Alliance for Peace stand in uncompromising opposition to the U.S.-led imperialist aggression against Ethiopia and by extension against her neighboring countries Eritrea, Somalia, and beyond. U.S. policy against Ethiopia cannot be understood without putting it within the broader context of U.S. imperialism’s geostrategic interest in the Horn of Africa in particular, and the whole of Africa in general.

It is not lost on the Black radicals and revolutionary Pan-Africanists that the U.S. settler colonialist state is an extension of Western Europe and as such it is motivated by a white supremacist, imperialist worldview.

In spite of its benevolent rhetoric, the U.S.’ unwavering commitment to full spectrum dominance reveals the only true intentions it has for Ethiopia and for our homeland, Africa. Since the 1950s African movements against colonialism and for continental unity, have been sabotaged by U.S. administrations of both parties. Leaders such as Patrice Lumumba of Congo were assassinated by the CIA, and Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana was overthrown in a CIA orchestrated coup. Ten years ago, the U.S. led the NATO bombing of Libya which decimated the country, killing not only the leader Muammar Gaddafi but also an untold number of Libyans. This was the first operation of its U.S. Africa Command, AFRICOM, that has since been responsible for thoroughly militarizing the continent of Africa, including waging an unmitigated drone war in Somalia.

The relative instability in Ethiopia can only be sustained through U.S. support. The empty rhetoric from officials like U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken represents the propaganda aspect of the hybrid war waged against Ethiopia.

It is important that we see the sanctions, media misinformation, and arrogant ultimatums by U.S. imperialism for what they are; the desperate machinations of a global power in crisis.

Western imperialism is being confronted by people-centered expressions of resistance in Africa and globally.

This week a French military convoy from Ivory Coast transiting across Burkina Faso towards Niger (a source of uranium for France) was stopped by 10,000 demonstrators demanding that the French forces evacuate from the region. The convoy had already been stopped on November 17th in the Burkina Faso city of Bobo Dioulasso and on the 18th in the capital of Ouagadougou. The imperialist press won’t cover this resistance.

Now expressions of solidarity from around the world are standing up for the Horn of Africa.

While the Black Alliance for Peace is committed to peace, we understand there can be no peace without justice, and we will stand in solidarity with all peoples (and nations) who strive to liberate themselves from all forms of neocolonial oppression.

BAP takes a resolute anti-colonial, anti-imperialist position that links the international role of the U.S. empire to the domestic war against poor people and working-class Black people within the United States.

We unequivocally support and uplift mutual cooperation, solidarity, and peace among all parties and people in Ethiopia, Eritrea, and the broader Horn of Africa region. We support African-led, localized conflict resolution that is not tied to advancing imperialism, neo-colonialism or any other nefarious Western agendas.

We must all transform our mobilizations into organized protracted struggle that forges a transcontinental cooperation that will save ourselves from the greatest threat to peace and stability on the planet, the U.S. government.

The U.S.-EU-NATO axis of domination will ultimately find its deathbed in Africa at the hands of the Pan-African masses.

Source: Dehai Eritrea Online

The public joins current and former Ethiopian military personnel to commemorate federal soldiers killed by forces loyal to the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) at the start of the conflict one year ago, at a candlelit event outside the city administration in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, November 3, 2021. /VCG ~~~~~~~~~~ •> Editor’s note: Fikrejesus Amahazion is an educator and researcher based in East Africa. The article reflects the author’s opinions and not necessarily those of CGTN. Last week, the United States Department of the Treasury’s Office imposed unilateral sanctions against Eritrean individuals, national institutions, and government entities in connection with the ongoing conflict in Ethiopia. The year-long Ethiopian crisis was sparked in early November of last year. The violent conflict has led to the loss of numerous lives, considerable destruction, and a widespread humanitarian crisis, as well as threatened to destabilize the Horn of Africa region. In response to the unilateral sanctions, which are a flagrant breach of the fundamental principle of sovereign equality in international law and violate the basic norms of international relations as enshrined in the United Nations Charter, the Eritrean government issued a strong press statement deploring the “unwarranted” sanctions and describing them as a continuation of “misguided and hostile” policies by the U.S. For its part, the government of Ethiopia also condemned the sanctions, explaining that it never lodged any grievances to the international community in regard to Eritrea but implores the international community to strongly condemn the TPLF and target it for tough actions. Notably, on November 18, China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Zhao Lijian, expressed China’s own stance on the recent unilateral move by the U.S. In particular, the spokesperson explained that China opposes “interference in other countries’ domestic affairs with the use or threat of unilateral sanctions.” He added, “China hopes that the parties concerned will prudently handle relevant issues and play a constructive role in maintaining peace and stability in the Horn of Africa.” The response by China opposing the unilateral sanctions highlights a number of key points. The first is that it serves as another reminder of China’s long-standing opposition to so-called power politics and hegemonic bullying, as well as its belief that although countries can – and in fact often do – disagree, sometimes very strongly, they should properly resolve their differences through equal consultations on the basis of mutual respect. Contrary to some highly inaccurate and outright erroneous perceptions which are frequently peddled in the West, China has consistently been a firm and staunch supporter of multilateralism, while remaining strongly committed to the UN-centered international system and the international order underpinned by international law. This was also recently demonstrated by the fact that earlier this year China, along with 16 other countries, was one of the founding members of the Group of Friends in Defense of the UN Charter. The recent imposition of unilateral coercive economic measures by the U.S.is a flagrant breach of the fundamental principle of sovereign equality in international law and violates the basic norms of international relations as enshrined in the UN Charter, countless UN General Assembly resolutions, charters of various regional organizations, such as the Charter of the Organization of American States and the Constitutive Act of the African Union, and numerous international treaties, including the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties. As stated unequivocally in Chapter VII of the UN Charter, it is the UN Security Council—and only the UN Security Council — that may impose measures including “interruption of economic relations and of rail, sea, air, postal, telegraphic, radio, and other means of communication.” ~~~~~~~~~ *Image 2> Protesters hold their messages during a massive rally to rail against the U.S. imposing restrictions on economic and security assistance over the conflict in the Tigray region at Addis Ababa soccer stadium in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, May 30, 2021. /Getty ~~~~~~~~ Within this overall context, then, China’s expression of opposition to the recent unilateral move by the U.S. is a clear illustration of its own commitment to multilateralism and the UN-centered international system. The second important point arising from China’s opposition to the sanctions is that it helps to vividly reveal one of the fundamental reasons why African countries, and many other countries across the broader developing world for that matter, appreciate and positively gravitate toward China. Although many in the West promote a Sino-phobic narrative and warn Africans of the alleged dangers of growing engagement and cooperation with China, the populations of many African countries regard China much differently. Recent public attitudes surveys, carried out in 18 African countries between 2019 and 2020 by the nonpartisan research institution Afrobarometer, demonstrate that African perceptions of China are generally positive. This is down to several reasons: China’s socio-economic, infrastructural, technological, and developmental assistance to the continent; the strong contributions by China to peacekeeping missions and its support for the African Standby Force; and China’s sharing of lessons and successful experiences. Along with the above, African countries genuinely appreciate China’s solidarity and its commitment to the principles of sovereignty, mutual respect. A fundamental plank of China’s foreign policy approach toward Africa is its support for African nations’ desire to be an equal partner in international affairs and the African Union’s principle of “African solutions to African problems.” Indeed, Yemane Gebremeskel, Eritrea’s Minister of Information, described China’s opposition to the unilateral sanctions as “commendable” and “principled.” Finally, the conflict in Ethiopia is undoubtedly an immense tragedy. It must end. Cooperative engagement by the international community, based on sovereignty, the UN system, and mutual respect —and exemplified by China’s approach —probably stands a better chance of acceptance by local actors than externally imposed, coercive measures. CGTN.com

Source: Dehai Eritrea Online

Eritrean nationals residing in various Scandinavian countries, Russia, and the US organized memorial service on the passing away of veteran freedom fighters Mr. Alamin Mohammed Seid, Secretary of the People’s Front for Democracy and Justice, and Brig. General Negash Tesfatsion.

At the event organized in Stockholm, Sweden, Mr. Yonas Mana, Charge d’Affairs at the Embassy of Eritrea in Sweden reminded the nationals to implement the trust of the fallen heroes by reinforcing their participation in national affairs as well as work to transfer the noble examples and history to posterity. Indicating that the memorial service is a program to renew our pledge to implement the trust of our martyrs by strengthening contribution, Mr. Sirak Bahlibi, Head of Public and Community Affairs on his part called on the youth to raise awareness and strengthen organizational capacity with the view to reinforce participation in national affairs.

At the event, a brief history of the veteran fighters Mr. Alamin Mohammed Seid and Brig. General Negash Tsfatsion was presented.

Similar memorial services were organized in several cities of Sweden and Norway including Uppsala, Orebro, Umea, Jonkoping, Oslo, Stavanger, Bergen, among others.

In related news, the Embassy of Eritrea in the Russian Federation organized a memorial service in a virtual format in which a number of nationals residing in Moscow and other cities of Russia participated. The nationals expressed readiness to reinforce contribution with the view to implement the trust of the fallen heroes.

Nationals in Minnesota, the USA also organized a similar memorial service on the passing away of Mr. Alamin Mohammed Seid, Secretary of the People’s Front for Democracy and Justice, and Brig. General Negash Tesfatsion.

Source: Ministry of Information Eritrea

Ethiopians and Eritreans in the Diaspora have rallied in Ottawa, Canada on Saturday against the Western intervention and the media’s deliberate information warfare in Ethiopia.

The rally was part of the international #NoMore campaign against the U.S and some Western countries’ intervention in Ethiopia in particular and in the horn of Africa in general.

During the rally, the demonstrators strongly condemned the Western countries’ undue pressure on Ethiopia and urged the international media to stop spreading disinformation about the conflict in Ethiopia.

It was also disclosed that a letter will be sent to the Canadian Parliament and the US Embassy in Ottawa urging Western nations to end their pressure on Ethiopia.

Ethio-Canadians and Eritreans voiced boldly against US misguided policy and media disinformation on Ethiopia in particular and in the Horn of African region in general, it was indicated.

Members of the Ethiopian Diaspora and Eritreans living in Ottawa, Toronto, Montreal, Quebec, Kingston and other cities have participated in the rally.

Ethiopians and foreign nationals of Ethiopian origin as well as friends of Ethiopia residing in various parts of the globe will also hold public rallies in more than 20 cities on Sunday to denounce unwarranted attempts to meddle in Ethiopia’s internal affairs and the media’s systematic information warfare.

Source: Ethiopia News agency