I am particularly flabbergasted by his statement in which Mr. Gebreab said, “There is a possibility that both countries could go back to war on the border, and that would be a disaster for the entire region.” He further stated, “…international pressure is going to be critical in getting us to avoid another tragedy.”
This is just like saying, “It is up to us to fight and it is up to you [the West]to mediate or else you will see a humanitarian disaster.”
I call this a tragedy in itself – people like this person who, on account of their misguided policies, are responsible for the death of tens of thousands of people, are still allowed to wander around feely and ramble such irresponsible statements. If the receiving capitals allowed him to say what he said for the sake of courtesy, I find that utterly offensive and characteristic of double standards on the part of western capitals. Courtesy in this case is simply tantamount to hypocrisy. Why are Saddam Hussein and Milosevic in prison and why are others, who have perpetrated similar crimes, allowed to roam around freely advocating war? Once again, if this is not double standard, what else can it be?
But above all else, the greatest tragedy is the content of the statement by the advisor. First of all, it is true that Eritreans are under a tyrannical rule at the moment. For the last ten years, all they have known is nothing but death, destruction, displacement, forced military conscription, fear, hunger, repression isolation and total despair. This is due to the misguided leadership in Eritrea. This harsh reality in Eritrea is confirmed by credible NGOs and trustworthy journalists who have worked in Eritrea and who were later expelled because they told the truth. Still worse, the tens of thousands of Eritrean refugees who flee for their lives is a reflection of the sad reality in Eritrea. Need one also mention about the young Eritreans who hijacked a plane from Libya only a few weeks ago? Or those who escape in containers in ships, not even caring where they will end up as long as they escape from the horrors in Eritrea?
That being the sorry saga at the moment, one can’t help but ‘admire’ the audacity of the Eritrean advisor who goes around western capitals squandering what little resources Eritrea has left to simply say to those who have the naiveté to hear, “We are going to go to war again unless you stop us from doing so.” I find that completely preposterous and laughable.
The history of Ethiopia and Eritrea, which has been punctuated by conflicts, anarchy, violence and human rights violations, can be changed for the better if reason and justice prevail over force and injustice. Reason will prevail when these countries wage war against poverty, ignorance, and diseases instead of waging war against each other. And, justice will prevail when they begin restoring and respecting the freedom and dignity of the people they govern. The west is indirectly feeding the cycle of conflict by allowing advisors like Mr. Gebreab glorify war and use it as an option. Has not the time come for the international community to prohibit abuses of power such as this one without bigotry?
