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Eritrea in the Limelight US’ Unacceptable Abuse of Power!
“There we go again” used to be
one of the favorite phrases the late President Ronald Reagan use to say when
he kept on hearing what he considered to be some unfounded allegations
against his administration’s policy or actions. And that was precisely what popped up in my mind when I heard
some media reports on how the current Secretary of State, Ms. Hillary
Clinton, was threatening Eritrea with yet again some unspecified hostile
action. Never mind the question on who
gave the US the right to be the judge and prosecutor of the community of
nations. Never mind the nauseating double
standard by which the US routinely operates. Never mind also the fact the US itself is guilty of supporting
directly or indirectly many despots whose regimes have caused untold humanitarian
crises around the world. Never mind all
that and more. The burning question
is what part of “Eritrea does not
provide weapons to any Somali resistance groups”, Ms. Clinton and the ever
hostile State Department officials do not understand? Madam Secretary, one can’t
squeeze blood from a turnip.
Similarly, you and your administration are not going to find Eritrea
guilty of anything she has not committed, no matter how you spin the issues. I am not going through the boring details
of the non existent accusations that are routinely leveled against Eritrea
for many people, including this writer, have previously attempted to nullify
the obnoxious and unsubstantiated allegations that have been thrown at
Eritrea and its government. Suffice
is to state that Eritrea has for the umpteen times stated that it does not
provide or act as transit of arms and munitions to any of the fighting forces
in Somalia in spite of the repeated and unfounded accusations thrown at her
by some phantom groups with no discernable credibility. The proof is in the pudding
Madam Secretary. If you and or your
informants have any tangible proof, I am sure you wouldn’t have hesitated to
gleefully present it for all to see as a wining athlete would proudly show
off his trophy. Where is the beef Ms.
Clinton? I think it about time that
you educate us of your mysterious findings or spare us this endless argument
that Uncle Sam knows it all nonsense. Anyone can discredit anyone else
at whim. But, the question is why
does the US find it convenient to continuously and arrogantly blackmail,
demonize and taunt Eritrea? Could it
be perhaps that the US has been on record working against the hard won
independence of Eritrea since the 1940s, which was achieved through blood and
sweat of the Eritrean people against all odds? Could it possibly be that the US has been turning a blind eye
when it comes to the abuse and human misery the Eritrean people suffered
under previous and current Ethiopian regimes all at the watchful eye of Washington
and UN Security Council? Could it be
because the US has forfeited its moral authority by refusing to abide by its
commitment to see to it that Ethiopia implement the internationally
arbitrated Ethio/Eritrea border ruling when the Ethiopia has clearly lost the
EEBC verdict? As one member
Somali parliament
told Aljazeera from Nairobi that the "Somali government" should seek good relationship with Eritrea for, in his view, the Eritreans could help Somalia
and the Somali people. He further
added, "It is crucial to have understanding with countries like
Kenya and Eritrea. Putting pressure
on Eritrea is not going to stop the fighting in Somalia. It might even exacerbate the already bad
situation". Washington’s unreasonable and
unwarranted threats against harmless, but principled Eritrea leave many more
questions than answers – unbefitting and unworthy of a Superpower, which one
would expect it to know better than to tragically wielding the stick. For heavens sake, if the folks at the
State Department are antsy for a fight, please pick somebody your size. Eritrea is not interested in any kind of
shenanigans or tit for tat child play with anyone not least with the US. All she cares is to try its level best to
improve the lot of its people; and to offer its moral support for all
oppressed people who are struggling to better themselves, rid of foreign
domination and stand on their own feet nothing more and nothing less; and the
case of Somalia is no exception. In reality, it is not Eritrea,
but the US along with its surrogate state of Ethiopia that has been
aggravating the situation in Somalia by continuously intervening on behalf of
its hand picked “Government” which was created by foreigners in a foreign
country. But that is for the Somali
people to sort it out. However, it is
imperative that the Somali people be left alone without the meddling of
outside forces including Ethiopia and the US. The Somalis are capable of solving their own problems. As to the futile attempt to
present Eritrea as what it is not will neither help solve the Somali issue nor
will it contribute any solutions to the problems of the Horn volatile region. Eritrea has a clear conscience and is not
concerned of false allegations thrown at her by arrogant and chauvinist
forces who are venting their frustrations on their failed and ill-conceived
adventurism in Somalia and the Horn region. Be as it may, however,
continually and unrealistically bashing Eritrea is tantamount to “Wagging the
dog” by making Eritrea the scapegoat for US unscrupulous actions! While the US knows very well that it is
Ethiopia that has broken all kinds of international norms by its actions in
the entire Horn region, for Washington to give it a blind eye and accuse
Eritrea of things Eritrea hasn’t done instead is blasphemous and places a big
doubt to the moral integrity of any nation let alone the only remaining
Superpower! While, no doubt, Somalia is
awash with weapons, based on the daily carnage that we have come to see, to
demand Eritrea to ”Stop providing weapons” to any group in Somalia is barking
at the wrong tree indeed; and as such, the State Department intentions must be something else other that what
they appear to be. The US has to show the moral
authority by practicing what the American Founding Fathers stood for and
saliently inscribed in the political holy book, known as the Constitution of
the United States of America, rather than waste its time in diatribe against
a country that has done nothing wrong against the US or its interests. In fact, if there was any country in that
God forsaken Horn region, it is Eritrea that has been consistently and
selflessly yearning to live in peace with all its neighbors in a mutually
conducive and beneficial environment where everyone would come up as a
winner. That is the whole truth
despite the negative media campaigns that have been intentionally and
maliciously conceived by Ethiopia and spread like wild fire by the likes of
Martin Plaut of the BBC for reasons that are known to him. Madam Secretary, unless one is
willing to “Call a spade a spade”, then I am afraid this endless rhetoric
against a country, which has done nothing wrong is going to take us to no
where except to a vicious circle of recrimination, which would not help the
Somali problem we all would like to see resolved once and for all!. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool
me twice, shame on ME. Berhane Alazar
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