Troubles In The Horn Of Africa
By Solomon Gebreselassie28 December, 2006
Countercurrents.orgThat 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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