Troubles
In The Horn Of Africa
By Solomon Gebreselassie
28 December, 2006
Countercurrents.org
That
Africa is the most marginalized continent in terms of its claim on socio-economic
resource use and distribution is a well known fact. Added to this is
the unfortunate fact of the continent not being in the radar of world
public opinion despite the myriad of problems plaguing most of the continent.
The geographic subset of Africa called the Horn of Africa, has the dubious
distinction of being the region in the world with lowest gross national
product, a region continually hit by drought, and a region where wars
and civil wars have claimed in the last 3 decades more people than any
part of the world. The countries packed into this mess include Sudan
(Remember Darfur?), Somalia (no government for over 2 decades, and now
a victim of war by American -allied Ethiopia), Eritrea (one of the most
repressive regimes in Africa), Djibouti (a French protectorate despite
the semblanc of independence), Kenya ( a prototype of corruption and
misrule), Uganda and Ethiopia (lauded as "new leaders" by
the Clintonites, but leaders clinging to power through massive election
fraud).
The Role of the US and China
At the root of the problem in this region is the lack of democracy and
accoutability made worse by superpower rivalry and unethical alignment
with one dictator or another. This goes back to the days of the Cold
War. China supports the Sudanese regime that is unabashedly committing
genocide against its own citizens in Darfur. The reason China turns
a blind eye to this human tragedy is its petroleum interest in Sudan
while the US and the West are fidgeting and fiddling. In Ethiopia, a
country that is the largest and the anchor in the region, the US turned
a blind eye when the regime there rigged an election in 2005 and continues
to jail and harass opposition members, civic society leaders, and members
of the independent media. Uganda did the same thing.
Civil society in the Horn of Africa is abused, denied of its fundamental
rights, and always vulnerable to the forces of nature and dictatorships.
Hitching onto US Strategy: the new tactic to continue to stay
in power
In the last 2 weeks, a war has been raging between Ethiopia and Somalia's
Islamist forces. The Ethiopian regime intervened under the pretext of
defending a weak, transitional government and purportedly to defend
Ethiopia from Islamist forces. However, the much-hated Ethiopian regime
is devising a way to endear itself to US policy makers who are cocerned
on the possibility of Somalia being a haven for Islamist radicals. The
Ethiooian regime is ready to do the US's bidding and it has already
started bombing peaceful Somali citizens under the veneer of defeating
the Ismaists. The Eritreans and others are in a time-tested tit-for-tat
helping the other side. Sadly, hundreds of thousands of people are going
to lose their lives as most even seek shelter from the recent floods,
and with no sighting of peace for generations to come.
The Way Out
The Horn of Africa needs special attention from the UN and other progressive
non-governmental organizations. A regional approach grounded on democratic
rule is the beginning of any solution. The caudilloes in each country
and their corrupt parties are the source of insecurity to their respective
citizens. Once their democratic and human rights are respected, the
people in this region can manage to improve their lot free from fear
and hunger. Otherwise, the Horn of Africa is going to continue to be
the most wrteched part of our planet by every imaginable index of progress.
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