By improving its relations with neighboring countries
Ethiopia is working for a peaceful regime in the Horn of Africa
Abiy Ahmed: "We will act on the external level in a manner that implies recognition that our national interests are closely linked with the interests of our neighbors."
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A gathering of Ethiopian refugees fleeing the war in Tigray.
Reuters
An Ethiopian Special Forces soldier in a camp is at rest.
A.F.B.
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The operations of the Ethiopian Federal Government contributed to the liberation of the Tigrayans from decades of bad rule practiced by the Tigrayan People's Liberation Front.
This generated new hopes, but also fears, about the future of Ethiopia and its role in the Horn of Africa and beyond.
Hopes were raised that the corrupt and authoritarian rule of the Tigray People's Liberation Front would be removed.
Ethiopia can now imagine a future that depends not only on ethnic fanaticism, but on unity, equality, freedom and democracy.
In addition, the source of the ethnic divide that was poisoning relations within the state and across the Horn of Africa has now been overcome.
But I cannot deny that the removal of this front has fueled tension in the international community, and the concerns about ethnic profiling in Tigrayans, and the obstacles to humanitarian relief are very great.
Based on what the third US president, Thomas Jefferson, was saying about "respect for the opinions of people," it makes me explain why the government worked to restore peace to Tigray, how we worked to alleviate the pain there, and why our efforts, supported by the international community, will work. I hope that restoring peace in Tigray will be in the interest of all people in my country, including the people of Tigrayans and the Horn of Africa in general.
Protect Ethiopia
And there is no government in the world that can bear the exposure of its innocent civilians and its soldiers to surprise attacks and dozens of killings, as was the case at the hands of the Tigray Liberation Front last fall.
Ultimately, my president's duty as head of government and commander-in-chief of the armed forces was to protect Ethiopia and its people from external and internal enemies.
Our operations in Tigray were designed to restore peace and order as quickly as possible.
We succeeded in that, but the suffering and deaths that occurred despite our best efforts to avoid it, caused a lot of sadness for me personally, in addition to the peace-loving people of Eritrea inside and outside the country.
In fact, ending the suffering in Tigray, and across the country, is my highest priority.
That is why I call on the United Nations and international aid organizations to work with the government so that together, we can bring effective relief to all Tigris who need it.
At the same time, we are working day and night, to send basic supplies to our citizens in Tigray, and to the needy in the neighboring provinces, in addition to ensuring respect and implementation of human rights and the restoration of normalcy.
To succeed in this, many challenges must be overcome.
For example, reconnecting lines of communication that were deliberately destroyed by the Tigrayan Liberation Front, is a test of our ability to send humanitarian aid.
And the international community can help us a lot in our reconstruction.
Our government is also ready to help community leaders in Tigray, who have dedicated themselves to peace, and in fact we are helping them now.
The international community realized what the Tigrayan Liberation Front was doing, and many of its members had acted to condemn the ethnic-based violence.
Unfortunately, others were willing to condone the acts of violence, torture, enforced disappearances, and extrajudicial killings that were being carried out by the front.
It is said that without the "Tigrayan Liberation Front", Ethiopia will face the risk of division according to ethnic regional boundaries, as happened in Yugoslavia in the 1990s.
He added this view that the collapse of Ethiopia heralded chaos in the Horn of Africa.
Common sense
But common sense informs us that a system based on ethnic division cannot be straightened, but as some say that common sense is not always the correct one, and fortunately, human societies can tolerate racial, racial, and religious violence for a long time.
In the five years before my election in April 2018 as the leader of the then ruling Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front, the Tigrayan Liberation Front was considered one of the most important challenges facing this party.
The front was responding brutally as usual.
The 2018 elections moved the country into a new, inclusive direction.
The party that I lead is the first in Ethiopia that is not based on race, religion or race.
The Tigrayan Liberation Front's regional policy was the divide and rule strategy.
For example, the Front adopted a policy of exclusion and ostracism towards Eritrea, and it launched proxy wars against it from the territories of unstable neighboring countries, which led to the consolidation of its vulnerability.
Ethiopia, free of the Tigrayan Liberation Front, will defend peace and inclusive development.
Domestically, the "new Ethiopia" will depend on the equality of all its constituent groups, including the suffering people of Tigray.
On the external front, we will act in a manner that implies recognition that our national interests are closely linked with the interests of our neighbors.
Do not fear the specter of war
The peace agreement signed with Eritrea in 2018 is a vivid example of what Ethiopia can do and is ready to do as well.
This agreement resolved a violent dilemma that lasted for two decades, and allowed for Eritrea's reintegration into the Horn of Africa and the international community.
More importantly, its citizens, who live along the border between the two countries, can now live without fear of the constant specter of war that hangs over their heads.
My government has worked to re-improve its relations with its neighboring countries.
After the political crisis in Sudan in 2019, Ethiopia played a key role in keeping Sudan out of the civil war, and helped form a transitional government with civilian and military representation.
Likewise, Ethiopia's role is pivotal in stabilizing Somalia, and our efforts to stabilize southern Sudan are continuing.
Ethiopia's foreign policy is now based on the belief that regional integration benefits everyone.
Our efforts to activate the African Free Trade Area are an essential part of our understanding of this policy.
Most embodied of our policy is that we have opened an external road linking Addis Ababa with the Nairobi-Mombasa Corridor, a project that works to remove barriers between countries to facilitate trade between Kenya and Ethiopia.
Likewise, the road from Addis Ababa to the port of Saab in Eritrea is being repaired and developed as an export artery for international trade.
In addition, and in partnership with the private sector, highways are planned aimed at linking Ethiopia with the ports of Djibouti and Assab, (to replace the old road that is now being repaired), which will be linked to Juba, the capital of South Sudan, where it provides that destitute country, which does not have an outlet Seas, with viable commercial outlets.
Joint ventures are being developed in ports, logistics, industrial parks and potassium extraction.
And I hope from the bottom of my heart that the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam will win the support of all our neighbors when it is finished, and that it will provide unprecedented opportunities for all in East Africa.
In a state of peace, and led by a government committed to humanitarian standards, Ethiopia can play a constructive role across the Horn of Africa and beyond, and we are determined to work with our neighbors and the international community to fulfill our promises.
• The Peace Agreement signed with Eritrea in 2018 is a vivid example of what Ethiopia can do and is ready to do as well.
Our operations in Tigray were designed to restore peace and order as quickly as possible. We succeeded in that, but the suffering and deaths that occurred despite our best efforts to avoid it, caused a lot of sadness for me personally, in addition to the peace-loving people of Eritrea inside and outside the country.
Abiy Ahmed - President of the Government of Ethiopia
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