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Letter to the Brave Warriors of Ethiopia Returning Home From Somalia
By Tecola W. Hagos
January 5, 2009
�It is not because things are difficult that we do not
dare; it is because we do not dare that things are difficult.� Seneca
�One
isn't necessarily born with courage, but one is born with potential.
Without courage, we cannot practice any other virtue with consistency. We
can't be kind, true, merciful, generous, or honest.�
Maya Angelou
Dear
Brave Warriors, Sons and Daughters of Ethiopia (returning home from
Somalia
):
I
thank you all for your great sacrifices and services to our country in the
mission that you have been deployed to carry out in
Somalia
. I gather that you all are returning to your home bases in our beloved
country. I am not pandering for anything writing this open letter to you,
but rather I am hoping that you all would know how a number of Ethiopians
appreciate the great services and sacrifices you rendered to us all.
I
have read with great dismay the articles and comments of some Ethiopians
in the Diaspora writing in Websites, Blogs et cetera demeaning and
insulting you, calling you names, and expressing delight on the slightest
adversity facing you in your honorable mission. It is unfathomable to me
how any Ethiopian would be euphoric on news of Ethiopian soldiers killed
in line of duty in
Somalia
. As far as I am concerned, you are our Ethiopian brave warriors, not
Meles Zenawi�s private soldiers or domestics. In your
Mission
, you represented the best of us, Ethiopians. You carried out an extremely
difficult mission (where World powers faltered) that is in the best
interest of
Ethiopia
irrespective of who is your Commander-in-Chief. I wish it was a different
patriotic Ethiopian who is at the head of the Ethiopian Government.
However, that fact of an unpopular and brutal leader does not diminish
your service to our country.
Given
a chance for me to be anywhere in the world, I would have chosen to be
with you in
Somalia
sharing in the hardship and risk that you endured for the two years period
you were deployed in
Somalia
. There is no greater showing of love of country than fighting and risking
ones life in the best interest of ones country and people.
You have done that every single day in your mission in
Somalia
. You brought a degree of stability and stopped a brutal Jihadist
insurgency from further damaging and brutalizing the Somali people. You
were invited to help by the Somali Government, and as a good neighbor you
responded to that appeal for help, for it also served and preserved the
integrity and security of
Ethiopia
. You were not �an occupation� army as some Ethiopians in the Diaspora
shamefully labeled you. Instead, you were guardians of civilization,
defenders of the weak, and shields against the brutality of Somali
Jihadist fanatics. The recent stoning (October 28. 2008) in Kismayu by
fanatic Somalis of a thirteen year old Somali girl who was a rape victim
is a clear example that defines the types of violent individuals we are
dealing with.
Even more
alarming is the fact that Somalia is already descending to the type of
brutality and chaos before the brave Ethiopian warriors cleared the
Jihadist fanatics that were creating havoc in the Somali Capital
implementing their crud form of brutal �justice� and highly arbitrary
code of conduct on Somalis contrary to the tolerant and accommodating
culture of Somalis. The Al-Shebaab brutal insurgents, who seem to have
supplanted the Islamic Courts, have already freed over ninety thousand
common criminals from jails and have those criminals loose on defenseless
population. Our Diaspora �politicians� with their myopic vision are
writing falsely defamatory and demeaning allegations that the withdrawal
of Ethiopian Warriors was due to some form of defeat. How such
anti-Ethiopian forces statement would help Ethiopia is a total puzzle to
me?
Ethiopian politicians in the Diaspora are both an
embarrassment and a disgrace. They are blinded by one-dimensional hate
based on false accusations of �Tigreans� in power. Day in day out,
year in year out, all these desperados talk and write about is �Tigreans�
did this or �Tigreans� did that. And all these in the face of stark
reality that the dictatorship of Meles Zenawi is a one-man show supported
by some Tigreans and some Mahele Sefaries that includes Shoan Amharas and
others who have maintained Meles Zenawi in power all these years. These
Diaspora politicians are essentially cowards, and want someone else to
fight for them so that they would step on the dead bodies of Ethiopians to
reach the seat of power. Even worse is their claim to power is based on
some bizarre idea of entitlement to political power due to recent
Ethiopian history overlooking the fact that such history of Ethiopia�s
power politics does not ensure power to any particular group. This is
absolutely nauseating to me, and Hell will freeze before such spineless
Diaspora politicians would even have a sniff of power in Ethiopia. It must
be clearly understood that the Ethiopian Forces serve and defend Ethiopia.
They are our sons and daughters serving the interest of our country and
helping a neighboring people from undergoing tremendous suffering in the
hands of fanatics.
In the last couple of days, I have learned from
concerned Somalis through reliable third parties, about Somalis who are
opposed to Ethiopian Forces leaving Somalia. The Somali Government
delegation and concerned Somali citizens are already in Addis Ababa
pleading with the Ethiopian Government not to leave Somalia as yet.
Ethiopia has sacrificed much having her brave sons and daughters fighting
Jihadist insurrectionists who are financed by oil money from neighboring
countries. The situation is very precarious and needs the leadership of a
committed Ethiopian hero not some wish-washy Diaspora pamphleteer who had
not even managed in his life a chicken coop let alone led a military
expedition. It is amazing to me that such Diaspora loud-mouths, who could
not even understand elementary strategy of engagement or regional
politics, posting articles and comments undermining the Armed Forces of
Ethiopia.
There
is no secret that I am very critical of Meles Zenawi and his Government. I
know Meles Zenawi is the Commander-in-Chief of the Ethiopian Armed Forces.
It is the same individual who forced his esoteric agenda of a divisive
government structure, and international policies that undermined the
defense of the Sovereignty and Territorial integrity of
Ethiopia
as the head of Government of Ethiopia. I have been also highly critical of
his humiliating subservience to foreign powers. I am highly critical of
his secret dealings ceding Ethiopian territories without open
parliamentary oversight and knowledge the historic Ethiopian controlled
vast tract of land in the West, North, and South of our border
territories. However, it is
not your fault that we are in such dire circumstances, but our own failure
not being brave enough and vigilant enough to have chosen a better leader
that we are all in our current predicament.
The
recent arrest of Judge Bertukan Mideksa is another clear example of the
poor quality of governance we have to endure in
Ethiopia
. One must realize that no �pardon� agreement can override
constitutionally guaranteed and internationally acknowledged fundamental
rights of thought, speech, and expression. Meles
Zenawi is the worst leader we have had next to Mengistu Hailemariam, in
our long history. Meles Zenawi will try to use you against the Ethiopian
people who are legitimately in opposition to his Government and his
leadership. I urge you not to
make the error of carrying out any military action against fellow
Ethiopians in order to preserve the Government and leadership of Meles
Zenawi. If at all, I believe in you not being involved in the political
in-fighting of factions, political parties, movements et cetera is the
best service you could render to
Ethiopia
.
If
the political situation in Ethiopia becomes volatile and things tend to
get out of hand threatening the integrity of Ethiopia, I urge you take
over the Government and establish a �Transitional� civilian lead
government to bring about orderly change form the divisive and
anti-Ethiopia Government of Meles Zenawi to a new civilian government with
Ethiopiawinet and the territorial integrity of Ethiopia as its priority.
With
deep respect and abiding faith in your services to
Ethiopia
, the brave warriors of
Ethiopia
returning home from
Somalia
, Thank you! I remain
Sincerely
Tecola
W. Hagos
January
5, 2009
Washington
DC
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