The merchants of the wars and the plight of Horn of Africa

 

A. Alexander, Professor of Easter and African Studies

Part 2

In part two we look at the region and how dangerous the neighborhood has become.

 

The politics in Ethiopia has undergone various divisions, starting from the Marxist dichotomy of class division to Stalinist ethnic division and now to abstract and absurd “Sematic” and “Cushitic” division. However, these divisions have not brought any positive impact on the lives of the people but rather used as a tool by the elites to attack their rivals.

Moreover, this division is not limited to internal categorization, but also geographical. Eritrea was portrayed as a different race, culture, history, and society from Tigray, Amhara, or Ethiopians, to push Ethiopian forces far from the Red Sea. This division did not benefit either Eritrea or Ethiopia, as Eritrea is now isolated and facing challenges for the last 30 years.

The only consolation is that the state of Eritrea appears to prioritize its own and the people's interests over aid and loan. Conversely, Abiy, who follows a religion of the magic money of the Prosperity Gospel, presents Ethiopia on a silver plate to the West and wants to stay in power at any cost, even if it means betraying his close friends.

 

Then one may ask the following

 

The conflict in Ethiopia has been influenced by various external factors, such as religion, ideology, ethnicity, and colonialism. Some of these factors are not inherent to the region but are imposed by foreign actors who have their own interests.

For example, Ethiopia has been subjected to different forms of intervention, from the religious crusades of the 16th century to the Marxist ideology of the 20th century, to the ethnic federalism of the 21st century. These interventions have often created divisions and tensions among the Ethiopian people, who share a common history and culture. Since these categorizations didn’t lead to the extinction of Ethiopia a new division has been manufactured under a Cushitic land and the Semitic settlers. This a new dichotomy that led to ethnic cleansing and genocide of the Amhara, Tigray, and other people living in the region of Oromia.   

The Ethiopia division is not only an internal categorization of society but also geographical.  To push the Ethiopian force far from the Red Sea, Eritrea was portrayed as a different race, culture, history, and society from that of Tigray, Amhara, or Ethiopia

Did Eritrea and Ethiopia benefit from this division? No, Eritrea is isolated and has been suffering for the last 30 years since its interests in the region cannot be different from those of the Ethiopian people.

This is not the first time that the country has faced similar challenges. When it comes to Ethiopia, the West had a free hand to divide and colonize Africa except for Ethiopia. Ethiopia is a country of peace-loving people who have been targeted by Europe, Egypt, and Turkey for centuries. The West believes that Ethiopia's formidability comes from its old Orthodox Christian and Muslim communities which live in harmony. Of all these communities, they believe that the Amharic-speaking segment of society is the core that maintains Orthodoxy for both Muslims and Christians as well as Ethiopian culture and Africanism. 

Warning to Eritrea, Amhara, Oromo, and Tigray people

The Amhara, Tigray, Oromo, and Eritrea are the most influential groups in the Horn of Africa are facing a tactic aimed at sowing division and inciting them to fight each other, which could render them irrelevant. However, the greatest hurdle currently is the ongoing conflict between Amhara, Tigray, and Eritrea. To prevent the dire consequences of such a conflict, it is imperative to find ways to resolve any existing differences through dialogue and to do so at all costs.

Call to the people of the world

However, I found some information on a news website that might be relevant to your question. According to The Guardian, Ethiopia's Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has lost support among the Amhara, Ethiopia’s second-largest group, who feel let down by his failure to stop an offensive by the Tigray rebels into their region in 2021 and prevent a series of attacks on Amhara civilians. The same source also reports that gun battles have erupted in Ethiopia as PM Abiy axes Amhara region’s security force.