Madam, – In his desire to highlight Somalia’s trial and tribulations Fintan O’Toole has managed to pen an article entitled “No one seems to know what to do about Somalia” (July 7th).
It must be noted from the outset that Ethiopia has been the victim of terrorist attacks emanating from Somalia long before 9/11 and the subsequent war on terror waged by the international community.
Ethiopia has expressed its concern time and again in the past not to ignore Somalia’s metamorphosis into a magnet for a constellation of international terrorists; but to no avail.
Contrary to Fintan O’Toole’s claim, therefore, Ethiopia has never in her long and chequered history become a proxy to anyone. Ethiopia’s foreign policy has peaceful co-existence with our neighbours as its fulcrum. Its intervention in Somalia was prompted by two genuine factors.
First, was a response to the internationally recognised transitional government of Somalia’s invitation to assist with the maintenance of law and order in the country.
Secondly, we recognised that the declaration of Jihad on Ethiopia and the subsequent terrorist acts along our border by Union of Islamic Courts (UIC) forces, posed a clear, imminent and existential threat to Ethiopia.
Contrary to Fintan O’Toole’s claim, the UIC reign. far from being a period of peace, stability and maintenance of the rule of law, was replete with a sense of instability and fear as UIC launched its inhumane beheadings, amputations of arms and legs and flagellations.
It is an uncontested fact during our troops stay in Somalia, they did not only sacrifice their life but executed their mission professionally in accordance with internationally accepted principles and norms.
Ethiopian troops in Somalia showed discipline, care and even altruism in Somalia which was a replica of their UN assignments in Korea, the Congo, Rwanda and Liberia.
It was, indeed, Ethiopia’s timely and calibrated response to Somali Jihadists and irredentists groups that paved the way for the establishment of governmental institutions in Somalia.
Hence, Somalia’s situation was exacerbated not by Ethiopian intervention – as Mr O’Toole attempts to portray – but by the somewhat somnolent stand which the international community chose to take vis-à-vis the Transitional Government’s urgent call to beef up the peace-keeping presence of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) in Mogadihu.
What is essential at the moment is the need by the international community to give a hand to the government and people of Somalia in practical terms in order to fight extremism. It is only when such practical steps are taken that irresponsible states, who are adding fuel to the fire, would realise there could after all be consequences to their bizarre behaviours. Only then will the international community have done justice to its cardinal principles. – Yours, etc,