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Ethio Quest News
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Aid helped to avert disaster
By Dereje Hailu Kassa | February 19, 2002
" ....In 1984 and 1985, the last time Canada and the
world listened to Khalif's kind of advice, 1 million
Ethiopians lost their lives." More
Just Another Episode?
by Dereje Hailu | 11 January, 2008
" What else is new? Just another episode from the
much bigger tragic story unfolding right in our
eyes, and yet  passes as if it was no big deal. Every
one of us, whether we accept it or not, are in
the...More
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"Unnecessary" Question of Ethiopians
By Dereje Hailu Kassa | 24, March 2009
" This writing is neither about the war in
Afghanistan, nor about the Canadian soldiers who
died there. It's rather about transparency and
accountability, above all a  respect for human being.
Why these things are eroded in my beloved country,
where an opponent's life is dispensable?....Home
Editor's blog
Somalia: Arms race Vs Arms embargo
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By Dereje Hailu Kassa | 19 November 2008

Selam!

According to a news report Britain has drafted a new U.N.
resolution, aimed at imposing new sanctions on anyone
contributing to violence and instability in Somalia. The same news
report quotes a Western diplomat as saying: " The idea is to
increase the pressure on those responsible for undermining
stability in Somalia."

I thought the first U.N. Security Council Resolution 733 which was
adopted on January 23, 1992 a year after President Siad Barre
was toppled supposed to do just that. For anyone who closely
follow the situation in Somalia, it is clearly  understandable  that
what is lacking is not a new resolution, but the will and
determination to enforce the existing one.

Two years ago, a month before the reckless Ethiopian regime send
its troops in Somalia and became the biggest of all violaters, the
U.N. released a startling report which revealed that, the Lebanese
militant group Hezbollah and 11 countries were funnelling weaponry
into Somalia. Many were shocked by the report including Hossam
el-Hamalawy who wrote: " It sounds bizarre the Lebanese
resistance group would stick its nose in the affairs of the Horn of
Africa, ..I find it also hard to believe however that Mubarak's
regime, which is extremely paranoid of militant Islam, would get
involved with the Somali Islamist militias."The reality is none of the
other parties involved in the alleged arms supply did so because
their religious duty call for it either.

Take for example another U.N. report released last year, the U.N.
came out with the accusation of " Eritrea giving arms to Somalis
tied to al Qaeda" the allegation focus on a chartered Boeing 707
cargo plane that made 13 flights from the Eritrean Capital of
Asmara to Mogadishu, Somalia. These were confirmed flights by
International Civil Aviation Organization. It also alleges that Eritrea "
supplied the shabab with SA-18 surface-to-air-missiles, one of
which was used to shoot down a Belarussian cargo plane on March
23, the group determined."  Now the question is, what religious
reason Isayas would come up with, to justify his support to
Ethiopia's "sworn enemies" who are waging all rounded war
targeting  his ancestors' cultural and religious heritages which both
people cherish. The answer is simple: none.  

In a different example Iran: " The U.N. team detailed three Iranian
consignments of arms, ammunition, medical supplies and doctors
to the Islamic fighters since summer. The report says one July
shipment included land mines, 1,000 machine guns and M-79
rocket launchers, and 45 shoulder-fired surface-to-air missiles."
    The question is how come
    the Iranians who are also
    behind the bloodshed among
    muslims in Iraq, in the name
    of Sunni and Shia, found
    common ground with Somali
    "Islamists" who are Sunni
    muslims? One possible
    answer to this question is as
    Washington post, where the
    above quote was taken
    pointed out, the
    "degree to which the United
    States' chief Middle East
    rivals, Iran and Syria, and its
    allies, Saudi Arabia and
    Egypt, are prepared to
    challenge U.S. interests in
    East Africa." the other
    possible answer could be "
    the possibility of selling more
    weapons for access to
    Somalia's uranium deposits"  

No wonder why some were puzzled by the recent saga involving an
Iranian State Cargo ship on Somali waters. There are many similar
puzzling stories and evidences to confirm that many are involved in
fanning the conflict in Somalia in violation of the Security Council's
Resolution.
- Security Council Condemns Continuing Flow of Arms to Somalia
as it Adpopts...
April 29, 2008 | UN Security Council
- U.N.: Eritrea giving arms to Somalis tied to al Qaeda July 26,
2007 | CNN
- FACTBOX: Somalia's recent influx of weapons November 10,
2006 | Reuters
- Security Council Condemns increase in flow of weapons to
Somalia
October 14, 2005 | UN
- Weapons flow into Somalia August 18, 2004 | News 24
- Arms embargo against Somalia constantly violated, UN Security
Council told November 7, 2003 | UN
The actors in the Somali drama may camouflage themselves with
all the available  masks including a religious one, nontheless their
unmasked face tell their true nature. No religious doctrine justifies
that causing mass suffering and death for no apparent reason is
permissible by God/Allah.

As for the two untouchable counter parts ( Meles & Isayas), who
have been rewarded with the highest possible prize in the region as
the cold war trophy and  blinded by it, seem unable to comprehend
the depth and scope of the new alignment and realignment taking
place globally, which inevitably will have significant impact in the
lives of our peoples for a long time to come.

In stead of projecting their countries and region in a most
appropriate way, so that their lands and peoples continue to play
their historic role in a dignified way as crossroads of world's great
civilizations, they chose to exploit this historic moment for
temporary personal gains of consolidating their personal power, by
making it unreachable to the absolute majority.

And due to this detachment that, they failed to tap on the
demonstrated wisdom of the people through their alertness to the
quickly changing environment they live in,  and design a regional
strategy for them that would  protect and spare them from being
soft targets.

To their credit, the opposition leaders who found the rarest
common ground to voice the persistent concern of the people in
opposing the government's adventurous military involvement in
Somalia, now can claim exoneration as the regime ultimately faces
the question, for what reason and purpose it made young
Ethiopians cannon fodder in Somalia? And, What did the killing
spree accomplish?

Peace Be Unto You All!
Confiscated weapons displayed to
the media in Mogadishu,
July 6, 2007
Photo Abdurahman Hersi
( For AP )
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