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Panelists propose solutions to conflict in Horn of Africa

By Roza Essaw In collaboration with the Horn of Africa Peace and Development Center, the John Goodwin Tower Center for Political Studies hosted the "Conflict Resolution in the Horn of Africa" event Friday in the Meadows

By Roza Essaw

In collaboration with the Horn of Africa Peace and Development Center, the John Goodwin Tower Center for Political Studies hosted the “Conflict Resolution in the Horn of Africa” event Friday in the Meadows Museum, bringing together experts on critical issues facing the region.

The Horn of Africa is the easternmost projection of the continent and includes countries such as Eritrea, Djibouti, Ethiopia and Somalia.

The chair of the first panel, Semere Habtermariam, opened the discussion and declared, “the Horn of Africa is in a mess.”

Following Habtermariam’s solemn declaration, Kenneth Menkhaus, an expert on Somalia, began by discussing the famine, which he labeled as “the worst humanitarian crisis in the world.”

“Somalia is facing the biggest famine in 20 years,” Menkhaus said.

Other critical issues facing Somalia include lack of democracy, piracy and political fragmentation. According to Menkhaus, these internal crises have caused over 1.5 million Somalis to be forced out of their country.

“We are looking at a diasporized Somalia,” Menkhaus said.

“Eritrea’s history is short, but it is one filled with colonization, marginalization, annexation and increasingly as a narrative of injustice,” Semhar Araia, an expert on Eritrea, said.

Araia’s presentation honed in on the Ethiopia-Eritrea conflict.

“Failure of Eritrea and Ethiopia to solve their regional differences has led to many problems,” she said.

Araia also outlined the Diaspora, which she believes has created a massive generational divide and eliminated discussions.

Moving forward, Araia called for better discussions on these problems and emphasized the need for international actors “to recognize the consequences of the stalemate” between Ethiopia and Eritrea.

Ted Vestal, an expert on Ethiopia, coined Ethiopia’s problems in four elements: earth, water, air and fire.

“Ethiopia’s lands have been leased in vast tracks to 36 countries,” Vestal said. The takeover of vast acres of Ethiopia’s land fuels problems of high unemployment and poverty. Lack of clean water also adds to the health concerns, and Ethiopia also struggles with freedom of speech.

“Ethiopia is amongst one of the world’s top 10 online oppressors,” Vestal said. “The government exercises control of the net and spies on writers. The Horn leads the world in one category: the number of violent conflicts.”

The second panel focused on U.S. interest in the Horn, and all of the panelists agreed on one unanimous consensus: Africa is not a top priority for the international community. In fact, the Horn is the lowest priority for the U.S.

“The only time the Horn of Africa comes to U.S. attention is when there are problems,” Lange Schermerhorn, former ambassador to Djibouti, said.

While commending some of America’s successful humanitarian assistance, the panelists called on the U.S. to move away from a linear approach of thinking.

“We are always trying to impose our model,” Schermerhorn said.

According to the panelists, the U.S. needs to mobilize other international actors to help because there is very little the U.S. can do alone.

The keynote luncheon speaker Tibor P. Nagy, former ambassador to Ethiopia, stressed the need for “bottom top instead of top down approach” to solve many of these problems.

As the final panel came to a close, Berhanu Mengistu, an expert on Ethiopia, shared his lesson with the audience.

“There is a time to oppose and a time to be partners.”

The Daily Campus

 

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Review overview
15 COMMENTS
  • aregai November 14, 2011

    eritrea is any time great

  • Tsahaye November 14, 2011

    Now let me ask every commentator here: did anyone learn any thing new from the panelists? Their grandiose title claims, “Panelists propose solutions to conflict in Horn of Africa.” Did you read any solution that is worthy of the praise? The chair of the first panel said, “The Horn is in a mess.” Can anyone smell any fresh idea here? I smell a cliché…an over used statement. The Horn has been in a mess for as long as one can remember. Kenneth said, “Somalia is facing the biggest famine in 20 years.” Yes, but it is not a new story to tell us either. Semhar tried to recycle Eritrea’s colonial history which has been chewed up and spat out many times over…another cliché. Ted Vestal talked about the barbaric woyane which I believe deserves some praise. Others glossed over US policy regarding the Horn of Africa which is common knowledge to many of us. The most important issue, an issue that has become the mother of all evil and mayhem, was simply skipped. Ethiopia’s refusal to respect the final and binding verdict was mentioned. One cannot eradicate malaria without eradicating its source. The Horn’s current problem emanates from one source, and that is the barbaric woyane’s intransigence not to respect international law and norms.

    • WediMereb November 15, 2011

      I agree with Tzehaye – Ethiopia’s refusal to respect the final and binding verdict will never be mentioned. The reason is obvious, the devil doesn’t like the holy water. The most important thing is, the actors come slowly to the core point where they wanted from the beginning to – Horn of Africa (HOA). Restructuring the HOA (as the actors want to have) doesn’t necessarily need the tragedic happening upon the people of HOA (boarder war, Somalia situation,Sinai,…).We need only honest and competent people who could run the whole procedure smart. We have these people too.

      The actors (US &CO) choose the people of HOA who represent/defend only the interests of the oppressors (US,…)neglecting the theirs. WHY panels, meetings,discusssions,…etc at false places and times with false people?

      We observe that the theme HOA will be our next poiunt of discusion.

      • Tsahaye November 15, 2011

        WediMereb,

        Thank you for agreeing with my comment. I sometimes find it mind boggling that people who pretend to searching for a solution to the Horn’s problems are people who have no desire of finding a permanent solution to that region. They are fully aware of the source of the problem, but for reasons that are only known to them, they don’t have a desire to face the cause of the problem head on. Although many of these individuals lack knowledge of the region itself, the main ones are Ethiopian’s hired lobbyists and representatives of other interest groups (NGOs and so forth). Hence they have to try their level best to avoid any topic such as the border issue while at the same time appearing neutral to the unsuspecting audience. Let us remind them that the mother of all evil and mayhem in the Horn of Africa is the barbaric woyane’s refusal to accept the final and binding verdict. Any one who thinks otherwise is a nothing but a crook.

  • Tsahaye November 14, 2011

    Sorry. …was mentioned should read was not mentioned.

    • ahmed Saleh November 14, 2011

      Tsahaye
      In respect of your question, if we learn something from penalists, the answer is NOPE. May be for some
      is a learning lesson but for others we grow up with Eritrean politics, so we know better concerning Eritrean
      political affair.

  • Semhar November 14, 2011

    The only solution to conflict in horn of Africa is to unite the nations and work together for common good. Form nations run by construction and with incorporated economy.
    Form united countries just like European union.
    Create a common currency and open the boundaries and work together for common good.

    • Tom November 15, 2011

      your solution is ideal but it is far from reality. How can all horne African countries can unite while Eritrean alone couldn’t unite at least to defeat the tyrany in their country?

    • Maazza November 17, 2011

      Semhar

      It is a beautiful dream but still just a dream. Your vision is way ahead. It may happen in the far future when generations different than we are will effortlessly do what is best for the majority of the peoples instead of the rulers and leaders. Fragmentation and division result in concentration of power and control in the hands of one or a few. Unity makes the united focus on and aim for much higher goals since no energy is lost in brewing division and fragmentation at the service of power-starved entities like our DIA. I am convinced that there are many many many who think like you do even now but to make this type of noble dreams materialize is near impossible since there are criminal gangs who will not stop at anything to make sure that you are not free enough even to think it loud inside your own country. They say NO democracy, no freedom of expression! if you dare, you are disappeared!!

  • Kibrom T. November 14, 2011

    Real Eritreans will keep fighting to find solutions for Eritrea’s agony. Snakes, pretending to be Eritreans, will keep trying to bring in muddy waters, (“… until Woyane abides by the binding this and binding that …”). These snakes have been commenting on this site disguised as “opposing views” with an agenda to finish off Eritrea with their poison. Eritreans, beware of the snakes and keep fighting to free our people from the claws of Isaias and the savage Sanai Bedouins.

    I say this to these evil individuals: Isaias has 300,000 troops (prisoners) at the border. Go fight the Woyane or shut up!

    • Kibrom T. November 15, 2011

      Please read “Sanai” as “Sinai”.

  • Barentu November 15, 2011

    When some people post the old pre 1991 map of Ethiopia some people go crazy, but when the new Republic of South Sudan is shown as part of the old Arab Sudan, nobody cares.
    Delete the map or get the new one. The people of South Sudan died to get their own nation. Respect them.

  • PFDJ(Popular Front for Dictatorship and Jail) November 15, 2011

    the only solution for the Ethio-Eritrea problem is:
    Dialog Dialog Dialog Dialog Dialog Dialog Dialog Dialog …. until the end Dialog Dialog Dialog Dialog Dialog
    shouting ,barking,war does not bring any changes rather it brings destruction…

    the two side government should keep on discussing, discussing discussing……..
    we love it or hate it, that should be the ONLY and last solution….
    and that i s a sign of modernization too solve problems in that way…

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