Ethiopia on the path of self destruction

Written by Mammo Muchie

Business Daily Africa, Kenya

July 11, 2008:

Ethiopia is one of the oldest most suffering nations in this planet. It went through hell in the Second World War under Mussolini’s fascist aggression.

It emerged from the war to confront a number of civil wars where external and internal actors coalesced to make the people, country and nation suffer.

Its elite imported undigested ideas that simply became a reason to impose terror. It fell for a virulent form of ethnic and vernacular decomposition that has undermined Ethiopian citizenship rather than build it, despite the claim to the contrary by those who imposed this particular form of ethnocentrism.

The age-old plague of famine continues. Ethiopia suffered worst famine in 1973.  Sadly, today a spectre of famine re-haunts Ethiopia. This is not because the country cannot feed itself. It can. But the requisite values that put human rights, human solidarity and social justice for all Ethiopians irrespective of origin, religion, age, gender, politics, rather than putting first the happiness, life and liberty of the elites and their backers, have been discarded.

This is not to mention the values of human rights, social solidarity and social justice that need to be institutionalised and sustained. Then there is deception in elections. The deceptions have been rampant, particularly since the May, 2005 election.

Peoples’ voices, choices and votes do not matter. Their preferred candidates have been sent to prison and some voters condemned to death. Other have gone into exile. It is time Ethiopia came out of this self-inflicted prison of problems. It is time for each one of its citizens to understand that solidarity with others is what makes one human, and not the pursuit of life, liberty and happiness for the individual.

In Ethiopia, those who do not have the capability and tolerance to express spirits of solidarity should stop blocking public life from evolving into directions that can truly tackle the real problems of real people in Ethiopia.

What is needed now is a broad social movement  to make sure key values are shared by all those who join public life and those who do not share these values are encouraged to share them, if they fail to share them, a collective action is mobilised to restrain them from spoiling the destiny of this far too much abused nation. Ethiopia must deal with conflicts and disasters that put into jeopardy millions of its citizens.

Prof Muchie  works with the Centre on Development Innovation in Aalborg University.

UN urges Sudan not to prosecute child rebels

KHARTOUM (AFP)

10/07/08

The special UN envoy on human rights in Sudan urged the government on Thursday not to prosecute 89 “child rebels” arrested after an attack by Darfur rebels on Khartoum two months ago.

“We have recommended to the government that they should be treated as victims of war, not as combattants,” Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Sudan Sima Samar told a news conference during her sixth visit to Khartoum.

“They should not be prosecuted. They should be reintegrated into society and reunited with their families. So the government promised that they would do that,” Samar added.

UN agencies and journalists have visited the 89 juveniles at a detention facility outside Khartoum, where they appear to be in good health.

“I ask the government to treat them as a victim of war, not to expose them too much to the media in order not put them in danger and ensure their security in the future,” said Samar, who will herself visit the children on Friday.

“During my visit I saw child soldiers everywhere almost, with the government forces and also with the different movements,” she said.

“Child soldiers, as we all know, is a clear violation of international agreements and humanitarian law, and we condemn the (use of) child soldiers and we ask the government and also the rebel groups not to use the children.”

Sudan says the children are aged from 11 to 17 and were press-ganged into Darfur rebel group the Justice and Equality Movement which attacked Khartoum.

Sudan has pledged to accord the children all rights, including special courts should they face legal proceedings.