The War in Ethiopia A call for peace

Nov 19.2020

The World and particularly the peoples of the Horn of Africa were stunned and caught

by surprise as the news of the eruption of war between the region of Tigray and the Federal government of Ethiopia unfolded.

In the last two years there were mounting frictions which frequently amounted

to a quasi confrontation. Time elapsed with the predicaments unadressed.

The regional government of Tigray and the Ethiopian federal government were increasingly becomming hostile and antagonistic to each other, eitherside blaming the other for violating Ethiopian constitutional structure. In the course of time war seemed to be inevitable with all its tragic consequences.

The Eritrean Renaissance Party called a symposium on the 17^th of October 2020

inviting political organisations, parties, concerned citizens, journalists, and influential political figures to discuss the ongoing situation.

We thoroughly discussed the events and the turmoil unleashing in Ethiopia and

the repercussions on the wider region. Unfortunately some days after our

symposium our concern and apprehension of an imminent war materialized .The prime minister

of Ethiopia ,Abiy Ahmed announced the beginning of war with many causalities on both sides. There are already reports of thousands of soldiers being killed on both sides.

The war will not remain restricted in Ethiopia but could ablaze the the whole region with unimaginable destruction of lives, livestocks ,other human resources

and displacements .

The people of the region already severely endangered by coronavirus pandemic , plagued by Locusts swarms, the worst of its kind in 25 years resulting in food scarcity are facing immediate danger of famine.

The two sides are aware of these facts,as they have been going through this kind of misery through out their history.

Governments are liable to their peoples and as such indebted to alleviate their grievances, grant their peoples the due protection they deserve and supply them with safety and peace.

It should be noted that no side will emerge as victorious out of this war. The result

will be the destruction of what was laboriously built and under immense human, material and financial sacrifices of the nation. We are already witnessing destruction of infrastructures, bridges, factories, power plants, universities, dams and above all lives of innocent citizens. For this ist what happened during all the wars.

Therefore we like to remind our Ethiopian brothers and sisters to simmer down and come to terms with themselves.Though it is premature to suggest a prediction of the course of the war no one can be delusioned of what the consequences could be. This war is senseless and defies any rationale. It is a war that could have been easily averted, contained and responsibly elaborated.

It is still advisable to seize any opportunity to end this war before it rages out of control. The full fledged war might lead to irreparable damage and even to the concept and vision of one Ethiopia.

Out Party urges the two sides,

to contemplate on the inevitability of peace and bravely overcome their differences, exercise restraint and resume talks

Declare cease fire and end defamation of either side

Sit together with all stake holders and work on a fundamental solution in

the spirit of one Ethiopia

4.We call on the peoples of Ethiopia, elderly people, religious leaders and

intellectual elites to exert the necessary pressure on the warring parties

to commit to peace in referrence to the rich Ethiopian traditional and

historical reconcilliation procedures.

We call on some Ethiopian news outlets within and outside Ethiopia to stop

war mongering and the disseminating of hatred. They must refrain from

serving as propaganda machinery of either side.

Impact on Eritrea

The War in Ethiopia could adversely impact Eritrea at least because of two reasons :

1 Declared intervention by Isias Afeworki drags our country into unwanted

conflict. A conflict that could compromise Eritrean integrity and

sovereignity.

2 Although it has not a ghost of a chance to materialize,the collapse of

Ethiopia with its 110 Million citizens could reciprocate in Eritrea if

the case is not dealt with diligence and caution.

So we call on the Eritrean people and the Eritrean Defence Forces:

To remain calm and hold together. Eritrean Unity is much more needed than ever.

To condemn the Involvement of Isias Afeworki in this war.

Eritrean Defence Forces should never be entangled in this war, as the war is

not in the interest of our Nation and our people

We ask the Eritrean Defence Forces to stand firmly against the decision of the Eritrean dictator, Isias Afeworli and not to succumb to any pressure. In this

commitment it should be reiterated and unequivocally stated that the Eritrean people in the diaspora and inside Eritrea are on the side of the army.

The issue of Badme can never be again a cause of war, as it is already adressed

by international community. The rest is a matter of peacefully realising and

and concluding the decisions met by the international court and on the basis of

commitments Ethiopia and Eritrea entered.

A call on the International Community:

The African Union,

The European Union

The United States of America

The United Nations

The war in Ethiopia is very much unsettling. The conflict has the likelyhood of spilling to the neighbouring contries. It could trigger a collapse of government institutions, displacements and

a flow of refugees to the wider region as far as to the European Union and further, thus causing a humanitarian crisis.This war is destined to cause unimaginable human sufferings.

The Eritrean Renaissance Party calls on the African Union to see the issue as affecting the whole African region und should intervene without hesitation.

We call on the European Union to do more than the efforts made untill now.

We call on the United States to use its leadership, political and economic leverages to effect an immediate cease fire.

In view of the appalling consequences for the region and the world our Party requests the United Nations to summon an urgent meeting of the Security Council and pass effective Resolutions that forces the warring Parties to end hostlities.

In Conclusion:

As for Eritrea and Eritreans the war in Ethiopia is an utterly Ethiopian issue which should be solved by Ethiopians. The warring Parties are Ethiopians and will ultimately arrange their differences out of internal conviction, acknowlgement of common history or because of pressures from the outside world. There are already voices of realisation and concilliatory tunes of bringing the peoples of Amhara and Tigray together which we deep heartedly salute.

The war will not have a winner. Therefor it ought be terminated immediately before too much devastation occurs and too much is risked.