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 Ogadenia Needs Political Solution Not Aid. By Abdullahi Khalif-Gariile
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As always, hunger, famine, starvation and the death that accompany them were reported from the Ethiopian administered region of Ogaden. Anyone who have been following the situation in that part of the world (or at least read its history) knows that the same scenario as in 1969, in 1973, in 1975, in 1978, in 1980, in 1985, in 1990, in 2000 and in many other years were being replayed there now in 2006. Through the years people in Ogadenia have faced frequent disasters, droughts and famines. Although seasonal rain failure and widespread flooding were always blamed for the constant tragedies in Ogadenia, any thinker could simply identify that this is not the case.
Since the end of the1950s when Ogadenia completely became under the Ethiopian colonial, it has been plagued by all kinds of disasters. Drought, famine, malaria, it has been one after the other. But with all the malaises the Ogaden region has confronted in its path to growth and maturity, none is greater than the man-made disasters. The greatest harms done to Ogaden region and its people were man made. These derived from problems of Ethiopian occupation troops and from local insurgents with no all-inclusive political structure. It is either the Ethiopian troops abusing the rights of suspected Ogaden politicians or the insurgents placing roadblocks between cities to disrupt normal movements.
The state of no-war no-peace in Ogadenia is more dangerous for the whole of East African countries in the long run. It keeps Ogaden region and its people drought charming and undermines peace and stability not only in Ethiopia but also in the entire of Horn of Africa.
The issue is not to find a political alternative to oppression and the violence that follows. It is time to move away from the political suppression of whole nation and the armed violence as a response to it and search for institutional ways to make changes. Such a change would benefit all, including the neighboring countries of Ogadenia.
It will take courage for African Union to address the Ogaden issue and find a long lasting solution. This solution will affect the way forward for future generations. It will also take bravery for Ethiopian leader, Meles Zenawi, to accept to put his strength forward to become the first African leader to undo what the white colonial has done to Africa, which was to divide nations to suite their needs. We have witnessed first hand the level of popularity of Meles Zenawi and his TPLF in Ogaden region when they first arrived in 1991. People in Ogadenia believed Meles and his group would bring historical changes in their lives. But things only got worse for many years in Ogadenia. Rather than international aid, it would be better, in the long run, to work together now and find a long lasting political solution.
The international community needs to develop a new approach to the unending Ogaden disasters, hunger, famine and starvation. If they really want to help the people in Ogaden region and make the Horn of Africa a better place for all, they must first put in place an institutional framework. This means that they have to determine the causes of the constant droughts in Ogaden region. They need a mechanism to collect the historical data of the region. The international community must go beyond aid collecting for the people in Ogaden region.
The no-war no-peace situation has caused untold sufferings on the Ogaden people. With the combined effects of the lack of security and stability, these man-made disasters gave the Ogaden region the image of a big unlivable desert. International community led by African Union needs to come up with mechanism to tackle the deteriorating and ever lasting Ogaden problem once and for all, not gathering aid this time but putting together a political solution.
Abdullahi Khalif-Gariile
[email protected]
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