Foreigners are highly respected in Ethiopian culture and such incidence is extremely rare. The Afar people are very proud of their culture and in no way they will attack foreigners. Since 1991 when Eritrea and Ethiopia began to be ruled Isaias Afeworki and Meles Zenawi, the two regimes declared war on the Afar people and many Afars lost their lives.
The Eritrean and Ethiopian regimes targeted Afar because this proud people do not allow their land to be overrun by those who have no respect for Afar people. Afar was autonomous during Imperial Ethiopia. The Afars were left without a leader when the late Sultan Ali Mirah went into exile following the emperor’s downfall in 1974.
After the fall of Mengistu in 1991, the armed rulers of Eritrea and Ethiopia teamed up and wiped out the Afar to control the resources. Afar never accepted their territory Assab to fall under Isaias’ Eritrea. Afar boycotted Eritrean referendum. Since that time there has never been peace. Once a Badme war broke out in 1998, the Afar people were used by both Eritrea and Ethiopia as proxies.
Both Isaias and Meles are playing their game by using the proud people of Afar. The spokesman of Ethiopia, Bereket Simon did not waste tome to accuse Asmara of the killing and abductions of the tourists. Surprised he did not accuse opposition movements like Ginbot 7. The killing of these foreign tourists is political to divert the attention from the Human Rights Watch Report out Jan. 16, 2012 on the people of Gambella who are forced to leave their land for foreign land lords connected with the unelected unaccountable regime of Ethiopia.
Before the release of this report the Ethiopian regime delegates including the USA Ambassador to Ethiopia were in Gambella. In Gambella in Dec. 2003 the Annuak were massacred to clear the land for foreign land grabbers. The West never held accountable the Ethiopian regime for this crime and has been dancing with Meles Zenawi as an ally and man of stability while only denouncing Isaias for his human right violation.
No wonder the BBC reporter expressed the fear of the West that Ethiopia and Eritrea will go to war following the killing of foreign tourists. The West has been fooled by Meles Zenawi for the last two decades and it is time to wake up and correct the failed policy of siding with Meles and attack Isaias.
Both are unelected thugs who care less for the loss of human lives. That is what they did in Badme war where more than 80,000 were killed. The loss of five foreigners is nothing for both of them. The regimes in Asmara and Addis have to go if we want peace in that part of Africa. Until then they will play on human lives to hold on power.
As an Ethiopian and a person who knows the Afar people very well we all condemn the crime committed in our name. The taking of innocent especially guests lives is un Ethiopian. Responsibility is squarely on the Ethiopian regime.
I am sending my condolence to the families who lost loved ones. I am also praying for the abducted Belgians and Ethiopians to come home safely. I can assure you that the killers are not unknown to the Ethiopian regime. The people of Ethiopia and Eritrea have to condemn such senseless killing. We have to rise up and establish an accountable regime both in Ethiopia and Eritrea that do not play with human lives to get foreign political and financial support. This is Blood Diplomacy I condemn very much.
