Ethiopia’s Revamped Regional Diplomatic Capacity
Ewnetu Haile
A positive wind of change has been blowing throughout East Africa over the past few months. The sense of peace and regional cooperation has improved tremendously. The whole region suddenly seems to have caught an outbreak of hope, love, forgiveness and cooperation over the past few months. However, there is a common source of this new found sense of unity and cooperation – Ethiopian PM Abiy Ahmed (Ph.D.).
Reuters reported on Wednesday September 12, 2018 that Machar, leader of the main rebel group the SPLM-IO, and other insurgent factions signed a new agreement with the Juba government in Ethiopia after assurances that a power-sharing accord would be honored. The civil war that started in 2013 has claimed the lives of at least 50,000 people according to the UN with a quarter of South Sudan’s population of 12 million displaced over that time.
It is to be remembered that the latest agreement was first negotiated in Addis Ababa as well with Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed (Ph.D.) as the main mediator. After the agreement, SPLM/A-IO acknowledged the efforts by PM Abiy and expressed its gratitude. Its statement read:
IGAD, under the leadership of Prime Minister Dr. Abiye Ahmed Ali, resolved to effectively allow Dr. Machar to fully and unconditionally participate in the ongoing peace negotiations in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa due to these efforts. This decision is merited and may as well be credited for whatever peace that might prevail in our country in the very near future. Furthermore, Prime Minister Abiye’s recent invitation of Dr. Machar to meet President Salva Kiir face-to-face to resolve the outstanding and contentious issues is inline with a series of wise and logical decisions that IGAD has taken in the last few months. By allowing the principals of the warring parties to sit and sift through their differences to address the root-causes and stop the war, IGAD has correctly diagnosed the problem and has set the negotiations on the right course. We would, therefore, like to express our gratitude to Prime Minister Abiye for his wise leadership and timely decision.
Last week also saw an important reconciliation in Kenya between Raila Odinga and President Uhuru Kenyatta. After disputed elections that were followed by fatal altercations with supporters, the political setting in Kenya remained tense. However, the two leaders have found in them the derive to come to terms after years of exchanging accusations and name calling. The two leaders have apologized to one another and the Kenyan people. “We have campaigned against each other, we have said nasty things against each other, and today, I ask forgiveness and I would like to apologise,” said Kenyatta. “Never again shall a Kenyan die because of an election. On my own behalf and that of all those behind me, I tender my apology,” said Odinga.
Post election disputes killed 92 people just eight months ago when Kenyatta was reelected. Few months down the line, the two leaders hug and apologize to finally patch a rivalry that descended from their fathers. The timing coincides with the period of reconciliation, peace and forgiveness in the region. The regional changes might have taught the two leaders a thing or two about forgiveness and reconciliation. After all, Uhuru Kenyatta has expressed his admiration for the vision and reform agendas Ethiopian PM Abiy Ahmed (Ph.D.) has been promoting. In an interview with VOA a couple of weeks ago, Kenyatta stated:
“I think what he (PM Abiy) expects is our support and I have committed to give Kenya’s total support. I believe that he has a vision for his country and he has a vision for the region as well. And I intend to work very closely with him to establish that. We are very happy with the situation as we see it … the rapprochement of power between Ethiopia and Eritrea. All these works for peace in our region, all this works for stability in our region and for us to be able as a region to focus not on insecurity or wars but rather to focus on economic growth and prosperity of our people. … I look forward to working together with Abiy as a partner to be able to achieve that objective. I wish him well. I continue to say I am strongly in support of what he’s doing together with his other colleagues in Ethiopia to help achieve this dream for us all.”
Another recent peaceful development in the region that benefitted from PM Abiy Ahmed’s (Ph.D.) involvement is the Djibouti – Eritrea peace accord. After their attendance of the Africa-China Summit (FOCAC 2018), the leaders of Ethiopia and Somalia went directly to Asmara to meet President Isaias Afeworki of Eritrea and agreed to initiate dialogue to resolve the nearly eleven years border dispute between Eritrea and Djibouti.
‘‘This is the season for peace in the Horn of Africa and this peace should be inclusive to all,’‘ read part of Afwerki’s message to his counterpart, President Ismail Omar Guelleh of Djibouti. After the visit to Djibouti by the foreign ministers of Somalia, Eritrea and Ethiopia, Eritrean Information Minister, Yemane G.Meskel said Guelleh had told the delegation that ‘Djibouti is ready for reconciliation.’ Djiboutian Foreign Minister Mahamoud Ali Youssouf said his Eritrean counterpart Osman Saleh was visiting to “open a new era in relations between our two countries. Now it is the time for peace.”
Over the five months PM Abiy has been in power, Ethiopia has forged a peaceful relation with Eritrea, Somalia has become an active regional actor, Kenyan leaders have reconciled, the South Sudanese leaders have agreed to work together and now Djibouti and Eritrea have come to a peaceful accord. It is indeed a time for peace in East Africa and the changes in Ethiopia are right at the heart of these positive winds of change.
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