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Realizing Peace Amid Peace Poisoners
Gemechu Tussa
The hard won independence has earlier hijacked by one man rule which its consequences are practically being observed currently in Eritrea. Isayas Afworqi has from day one denied the road for democracy, social and economic prosperity of Eritreans’ aspiration and replaced by mafia styled regime which has brought tragedy and bloody administrations followed by hunger and torture to the very people who sacrificed hugely for independence.
Political, economic and social rights have been completely ignored or postponed in the post independent Eritrea. Following the harsh and irresponsible measures applied to Eritrean citizens, Eritrean as a country is now nearly about to be failed state.
Health and School centers are altered to torturing and killing centers which scholars depicted as the prison cells outnumber schools and health centers combined. Universities are closed down; economic centers are controlled by the ruling front or dwindling. Eritrean youths are forced to drop off schools and spend in deserts for decades in the name of safeguarding the nation.
When all doors for Eritreans to live, work and learn are shutdown, they begun fleeing their beloved country at alarming speed and terrifying condition. Worried of these events, Isayas applied shoot and kill policy against any citizens suspected of leaving the country. However, this could not stop the frustrated citizens who take their lives as something better than being paralyzed at home.
What makes dangerous is that almost all productive citizens are fleeing the state which endangers the future fate of the country. The UN stated that Eritrea is the third most refugee producing country in the world. What Eritrean face while migrating is something heartbreaking incident? Certainly it is so.
The belligerent regime in Asmara considers its sadistic and irresponsible foreign policy as the only option for survival strategy in power. Accordingly, it has waged deadly war against Yemen, Sudan, Djibouti and Ethiopia whose consequences damaged the political, economic and social fabric of the young Nation.
By entering war with all next door countries, Isayas used to fool its own people to stay at deserts in the name of state emergency intentionally to distance them from domestic political engagement. Bewildered what to do or by the situations, Eritreans are seen either confused or paralyzed anywhere they live.
The state in Eritrea was devastated and nearly to fall apart. However, the fast advancing Ethiopian armies were ordered to withdraw from Eritrean territories following the Algiers agreement which brought peace keeping missions to patrol the disputed areas. The Border Commission awarded the flash point are called Badme to Eritrea and other areas previously administered under Eritrea were also amazingly awarded to Ethiopia. The Border Commission binding decision has added salt into the wound complicating the matter worse. Ethiopia made it abundantly clear however those areas known to Eritrea previously but awarded to her by the Border Commission decision would remain under Eritrea: Ethiopia refused to take them.
The great visionary leader reasoned that taking Eritrean’s territory just because the Border Commission decided does not make peaceful coexistence between the two brotherly people. Hence, he announced he would not take any piece of land from Eritrea whatsoever.
The 1998-2000 Ethiopia-Eritrea conflict is formally settled but the two governments remain implacably apprehensive of one another pregnant with risks of escalation and conflict. The ruling of the Ethiopia-Eritrea Border Commission further complicated the search for peace between the two countries.
Ethiopia proposed five peace points to negotiate over the technical matters regarding the disputed lands and Border Commission unjust decisions which it said it would have lasting solutions. Eritrea fully rejected it but demanded the full implementation of the Border Commission.
Ethiopia accepted the Border Commission decision in principle but demanded further negotiations on how to implement it. These are the very issues which brought the existing devastating no war no peace policy remained active in both countries for the last 15 years.
When objectively evaluated, the no peace no war might have weakened Eritrean leadership and contained Isayas’s belligerence against Ethiopia in the last ten years. However this did not happen without implicating negatively Ethiopian northern part politically, socially and economically. The policy has devastated Eritrea in all ways and also Tigiray Regional State of Ethiopia.
Tigray has been hostage of security and economic concerns which dwarfed the investment, tourism, agricultural sectors. As a result, the people are forced to migrate to different parts of Ethiopia and beyond leading to leave it without productive forces and short of development. Isayas has targeted the region and has been kidnapping many people almost every month which caused fear and uncertainty of the people living near the 1000 KM border areas.
The policy has also caused mass exodus in Eritrea which has made the country to be without productive youngsters leading it to be failed state. One should not forget that the policy really created very weakened state in Eritrea. However, it could be said that it has missed its set target as far as the activities of Isayas and its stay in power is concerned. That the policy has ruined the people but Isayas managed to stay in power at costs.
In this regard, explore vital cross-cutting issues like peace, economic chokepoints and democratization process which can bypass the subjective and objective enmity which are holding the two peoples hostage. It is also possible to provide opportunities for scholars, religious leaders, artists, society actors from both countries to deeply discuss ways of resolving problems and deciding the future fate of the two people. Such discussions can provide vital immediate peace and security challenges that lay foundation for common cooperation grounds.
Ethiopia should consult UN, AU, IGAD and other bodies on how to shorten and avoid the irresponsible leadership in Asmara. Ethiopia should also think ways of cooperating and coordinating with moderate Eritreans on how to save Eritrea from falling apart. The horn of Africa should not welcome another failed Eritrea after Somalia and South Sudan. IGAD must formulate policies to save Eritrea so that it can implement its economic, security and other people to people relation issues of the region be realized.
Therefore, the very policy (no peace no war policy) which is prolonging Isayas’s stay in power should be altered and replaced by new policy which can be shortening his power. Hence the choice is either allowing Isayas to stay in power and welcome a failed and very dangerous Eritrea like after 5 to 8 years or changing policies to shorten his power and expect peaceful and integrated Eritrea.
