BY ANDUALEM SISAY GESSESSE – On Friday December 17, United Nations Human Rights Council held a special session on Ethiopia. The special session was called by the European Union (EU), which about a week ago also tried to impose sanctions on the Government of Ethiopia at EU but failed to get enough vote.
Disappointed by the decision of EU, its top diplomat Josep Borrell has expressed his anger saying ‘my biggest frustration’ this year. The failed attempt of EU to impose sanction on Ethiopia was an extension of the continued pressure on the democratically elected Administration led by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.
As part of these pressures, some tiny countries in Europe such as Ireland have tabled the issue of the Great Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) at the UN Security Council about a dozen times in an attempt to favor their strategic ally Egypt.
Context
Egypt has always been at the moment is at loggerheads with Ethiopia when it comes to the use of the water of the Nile River, which gets about 86 percent of its water from Ethiopia.
Even though negotiations on GERD among Ethiopia and the two downstream countries, Sudan and Egypt, has been ongoing for over a decade, the parties has not been able to ink a deal to this date.
Egypt using its major allies including the former President Trump of the United States, EU, UN and everything at its disposal has tried and failed to stop water fillings of Ethiopia’s GERD, which is set to start generating electricity partly in the coming few months.
As a result, some of its politicians and activists publicly began supporting all kinds of rebel fighters in Ethiopia to destabilize the country and stop the remaining construction of GERD.
In addition, using the ongoing war between TPLF and Ethiopian troops as an opportunity, Egypt and its ally the United States have allegedly advised the neighboring Sudan, to occupy border areas, which were under the Ethiopian Government.
The @UN🇺🇳 Human Rights Council adopts by vote a resolution establishing an international commission of experts on #Ethiopia🇪🇹 to conduct an investigation into allegations of human rights violations and abuses by all parties to the conflict.
TEXT ➞https://t.co/ctxSPC4JVO#S33 pic.twitter.com/x0nLdVnKbQ
— UN Human Rights Council (@UN_HRC) December 17, 2021
Taking the advice seriously the military of Sudan, which at the moment is experiencing political turmoil, has occupied the disputed 3,000 square kilometers Al-Fashaga areas near the border.
Especially, since the war between Ethiopian national Defense Force and Tigray Peoples Liberation Front (TPLF) rebels, started on November 3, 2020, both the United States and EU have been taking side in the conflict.
The United States, has already imposed many sanctions on Ethiopia since the war broke out.
Furthermore, U.S. has also tabled the issue of Tigray Region at the UN Security Council in an attempt to intervene and save its old partner the TPLF.
Meanwhile, other permanent members of the UN Security Council mainly Russia and China, have voted against U.S. drafted sanctions on Ethiopia by indicating that the issue is internal affair of Ethiopia and an African and should be handled by the regional organization – the African Union.
U.S meddling in the internal affairs of Ethiopia came to light last week when the spokesperson of TPLF has admitted that they were advised to capture Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa by leaving the Tigray Region.
WELCOME TO WESTERN DEMOCRACY! 😝 pic.twitter.com/NE40vNnxZ1
— Bahre Negash (@ErythreanSea) December 20, 2021
It is in the middle of all these and the defeat of TPLF over the past few weeks from the areas it has invaded in Amhara and Afar regions, that EU calls for a special session drama on Ethiopia last Friday.
For this drama three non-governmental organizations who gave testimony on the session, are all Egypt based.
In fact, one of them is established in 2018 around the time TPLF lost its 27 years of political and economic dominance in Ethiopia when Abiy Ahmed came to power.
Let’s not forget that TPLF came to power in 1991 through arms struggle with the support of by the then Western imperialist block such as, America and Britain, who gave the rebels an assignment to cut Ethiopia into pieces using toxic ethnic federalism and constitution by introducing new boundaries within the country.
Before coming to power in 1991 the former guerrilla fighters also got offices, training facilities, and financing from the partners of the Western world mainly Egypt, Sudan and other Arab countries.
These countries don’t want to see a stronger and united Ethiopia in the region with its rich natural resources – huge water, arable land, minerals, gas and oil as well as tens of millions of young generations, among others.
The recent advice of the US for the TPLF to capture Addis Ababa was aimed at repeating regime change in Ethiopia by bringing back to power the dictatorial, ethnically infected military junta that robbed the nation for close to three decades and committed all kinds of human rights violations, which is now designated as a terrorist group by the Ethiopian Parliament.
To the surprise of U.S. and its allies, Ethiopia with its over 110 million population said, ‘No More’! Ethiopia said #NoMore to the meddling of US and EU in its internal affairs.
It is in the middle of this popular global #NoMore movement against Western countries injustices and interference in the internal affairs of sovereign nations that TPLF / Egypt, EU / US came with the last Friday drama at the UN Human Rights Council.
Reform UN or setup alternative body
When I say UN was engaged in drama, I am referring to the fact that UN has long lost credibility and independence by many countries of the world.
In fact, in my opinion, it will not continue being unfair and toy to the few powerful countries mainly the U.S. and its Western allies like this for long unless it reforms itself.
Otherwise, it is likely to collapse and boycotted by the group of countries, who have suffered and have been suffering and tired of the kind of Friday dramas.
How on earth could one justify UN as a fair organization when it accepts the words of three Egypt (Egypt-based) NGOs against Ethiopia?
You can’t just bring an NGO out of the blue on the table or anyone who has a vested interest in the issue and pass a decision that affects the lives of over a million people.
Shouldn’t the UN ask if so and so NGO has any operations in Ethiopia on the ground about the country it comments on?
Shouldn’t the UN be worried about the conflict of interest when dealing with such a sensitive issue?
In order to be fair shouldn’t UN be asking where are these NGOs based? By the way, one of the NGOs reflected on the Friday UN drama is founded by senior former Egyptian politicians.
Who is financisng them? I also saw an NGO from Ghana taking part in this UN drama on Friday. I said, “Wow! How much did they get paid or promised to talk about something they have no clue?” But I don’t blame these individuals and leaders of the NGOs, they could be in need of funding from EU/ Egypt/TPLF/ U.S. and said whatever rubbish they are told to say.
These individuals in my opinion have no moral integrity like their bosses (sponsors). They are likely to remain slave to their belly and their financers all the days of their lives.
But for a dignified human being and people of uncolonized and sovereign nation of Ethiopia, such dramas are totally unacceptable! We would rather die empty stomach or fighting injustice with dignity, than allowing unfairness and injustice.
That is why our forefathers helped many African countries in fighting against colonialism and become independent states.
That is why today we launched #No More, which aims to encounter neocolonialism and the injustices by the U.S. and its Western allies, as well as their puppets sch as, Egypt.
This issue reminds me of the Zambian Government, which recently evacuated its Embassy members from Addis Ababa after lobbied by the U.S. and secured 30 million in exchange.
.@InfoPft was the 2nd Egyptian NGO at the @UN_HRC meeting calling g for action against #Ethiopia. Along with @MaatforPeace it is a member of @AnnaLindh supported by @EU_Commission and governed by a former journalist @CNN & @BBC & a former executive @AECID_es [Spanish Aid] 2/n pic.twitter.com/OcNIyVKk1F
— Addis_Qnie, MD (@Qnie_Addis) December 20, 2021
How could one justify UN as a fair organization when it allowed tiny island nations with less than a million population and a few million to vote on a matter that affects the lives of 110 million plus Ethiopians.
Based on the last Friday voting drama, 21 countries vote supporting the establishment of an independent international investigation in Ethiopia, while 15 countries opposed, and 6 abstained.
In my opinion and I hope many people may share it, a country with tens of thousands population or a few million total population, wouldn’t be allowed to have an equal seat at the UN with those countries having hundreds of millions of people or over a billion. Especially on the issues that don’t have direct relevance with these tiny nations.
They can have equal say on a global agenda but not in the kind of internal affairs of other countries with tens of millions of people.
I know they are created as a nation by design to be used as servant to those who helped them become a nation. In fact, Ethiopians are resisting the project of the West to make their country nine or ten small weak nations using terrorist group like TPLF.
I don’t think it is fair to see a tiny nation with less than 60,000 total population deciding in the internal matters of a 110 million plus population such as Ethiopia or Philippines or even a billion plus population such as, China and India.
How could one justify Africa with over a total of 1.3 billion population, has no single seat at the UN Security Council, while France with some 67 million population has a seat?
In my view, it is unfair and injustice for France to vote on the fate of the lives of over 180 million Nigerians or 110 million Ethiopians.
I think that is why, “Reform UN!”, shouted the former President of Zimbabwe Robert Mugabe during one of the meetings of African Union in Addis Ababa a few years ago.
The funny thing about UN unfairness is that the total population of four of the countries, which are lobbied by EU and its ally U.S. and told to vote supporting its proposal on Ethiopia, have a total population of about 4.4 million (Marshall Island about 60,000; Bahamas about 399,000; Fiji about 885,000; and Armenia less than 3.1 million). And yet, UN believes that each of these countries have the right to vote on issues that affect the lives of over 110 million Ethiopians.
What they did on Ethiopia today is likely to be repeated on another country’s internal affirs tomorrow. Tomorrow these countries will also vote on issues that affect billions of Chinese and billions of Indians, which is nonsense!
I believe it is high time for UN to reform or the rest of the world need to set up an alternative body or competitive if you like to the current UN of the U.S. and EU. #NoMore!