Get real time updates directly on you device, subscribe now.
Strain Free State of emergency
Bereket Gebru
Although it came as a relief for all peace loving Ethiopians, the neutralization of the unrest in various parts of the country almost a year ago angered those who saw the situation as an opportunity to promote their political interests. These groups are still working relentlessly to reignite the fatal ordeals that set the country on the path of destruction and instability almost veering off the developmentally rewarding routes of the past fifteen years.
Therefore, they have resorted to media campaigns that allege the state of emergency in the country as having a major psychological strain in the lives of Ethiopians. The reality, however, is that the state of emergency has effectively rooted out the seeds of violence in the country with the people leading their lives as they used to. There are barely any constraints caused by the state of emergency on the lives of people, especially after its amendment that cancelled a significant section of it a few months ago.
In stark opposition to the propaganda efforts of the groups in favor of a chaotic Ethiopia, the state of emergency helped put a stop to the cycle of violence that was engulfing the nation. By doing so, it saved the lives of numerous Ethiopians and averted the destruction of a considerable amount of property.
Within just weeks of the declaration of the state of emergency, the command-post put in place by the government to implement the state of emergency managed to control the violent unrest and kick start peace building efforts. The swift success in containing the violence was mainly as a result of the goals set for the command post and the active participation of the people to stamp out the trace of violence.
Instead of adopting goals that mainly target the forceful apprehension of suspects, the command post sensed the legitimate social demands at the base of all the mayhem and looked for ways to promote understanding. Within the responsibility of overseeing the enforcement of the state of emergency, the command-post adopted four main objectives:
Teaching suspects
It was reported that a large number of people, mostly youth, participated in the unrest that claimed the lives of numerous Ethiopians and destroyed valuable property. The government repeatedly stated that at the root of all the violence that followed were legitimate social requests for good governance. The bloody altercations with law enforcement, however, indicated that there were problems in getting those problems across peacefully. Quite a large group resorted to venting their anger through violence.
It is understandable that the lack of good governance might lead to popular anger. However, there are legal ways of venting that anger and holding the responsible governmental offices and officials accountable. Accordingly, the command-post set out to primarily teach suspects of their constitutional rights and the legal channels of pursuing their grievances during their stay in correctional facilities. Accordingly, it educated thousands of suspects and released them into the community.
To prevent anymore unrest
The violent altercations that followed the popular demand for good governance claimed the valuable lives of our fellow Ethiopians and wasted a considerable amount of material and financial resources. As the situation posed a direct threat to the right to life of Ethiopians, making sure that such a violent condition did not go on was one of the main tasks of the command-post.
In a country that has gone some mile in building a democratic system, the lives of citizens needs to be protected as the people are the ultimate source of power. Differences in political stand should also not be grounds for bloody unrest. As the fatal violence spread from one place to another, it brought with it the threat of death to numerous Ethiopians. The violence also trumped on the human rights of citizens. Therefore, the command-post made averting this danger as one of its foremost duties.
The destruction of the properties of Ethiopians and foreign investors also threatened the achievements of the last fifteen years and cast a shadow on the future economic development of the country. Since the violence deprived people of their rights to own property, the government needed to stand in defense of these rights. The positive role played by foreign investment in the country’s march to development was also a target of the violence. Providing our country with technology, capital and employment, foreign investment is regarded as one of the ingredients of development. Halting the unrest in its tracks would help safeguard the properties of both Ethiopians and foreign investors, effectively rooting out the threat to the successes achieved so far and the ones we expect to stumble upon in the future.
Preventing anymore unrest would also mark a bright day for the attainment of peace in the country. As a peaceful condition is the basis upon which individual, group and national goals are built, ensuring its prevalence spells better days for all those parties. The factors that add up to achieve prosperity work ideally under peaceful conditions. Therefore, the prevention of anymore unrest is a fundamental task of the command-post.
To make sure that the public receives the declaration
As is the case with policies, the acceptance of the state of emergency by the public plays a great role in its effectiveness. There have been instances in recent months where states of emergency were breached by the people in African countries. That is a clear indication of the public rejection of the declaration. Violating the banning of curfews and demonstrations are the typical signals of public rejection of states of emergency.
In the case of Ethiopia, none of these signals have been evident. The declaration of the state of emergency was received positively as a move that prevents the loss of lives and property. To raise the level of public participation and social acceptance, the command-post set up posts at the lowest levels of local government. These posts have allowed people to report on any suspicious individuals and development in their localities, providing the state of emergency a social base.
To investigate and bring the culprits to justice
Impunity promotes lawlessness. At the back of all the lives lost and the properties destroyed, there are people who consciously set out to commit the crime. To uphold the rule of law, the government needed to investigate criminal cases and bring the culprits to justice. The lives and properties of those at the receiving end of heinous crimes should not be lost in vain. The command-post has, thus, taken up this huge task of fighting impunity.
By targeting understanding and social participation instead of a harsh crackdown on dissenters, the command post responsible for the implementation of the state of emergency avoided any strains that the declaration of the law might have on citizens. As shown above, the goals of the command post focused more on creating an accord with the public than mounting a violent crackdown against suspected groups. It is this measure to align with the people and ensure social participation that finally paid off in ensuring peace and stability in the country. With significant restrictive sections of the state of emergency revoked a few months back, the situation has become even more dilute as people lead their normal lives oblivious to the presence of a state of emergency.
