Ethiopian
crisis
By Saron
Yitbarek, Silver Chips Online
The pale white stone steps of the Black Lion Hospital
in Addis Ababa are soaked with the blood of Ethiopians killed
or injured by their own government. Thirty-six died in protests
this past June. Eighty have been killed since then.
Some have been punished for speaking out against
a corrupt leader who uses his power to permanently silence opposition
and maintain complete control. Some were wrongly targeted as protesters,
caught at the wrong place at the wrong time and paying with their
lives.
But all of them know the destruction emblematic
of Ethiopian President Meles Zenawi's rule, and all have begged
for the democratic rights that so many Americans take for granted.
Yet after numerous demonstrations, protests and petitions, the
world's powers do little in response to Ethiopia's crisis.
May 15 marked the first democratic presidential
election in Ethiopian history. The millions of Ethiopians who
came out to vote in what they thought would be a fair election
did not foresee the death and terror that would result from it.
When votes were counted, 90 percent of voters in Addis Ababa alone
chose the opposition party, the Coalition for Unity and Democracy.
That should have ended Zenawi's reign on its own, but he stopped
the vote count and falsely declared his party victorious.
Ethiopians do not ask that foreign nations bring
troops or arms to fight for them, and much simpler steps can be
taken to end the months-long standoff.
The first would be to acknowledge that the current
ruler hurts rather than helps the Ethiopian people. The United
States and Great Britain both count on Zenawi as an ally in the
war on terrorism. British Prime Minister Tony Blair appointed
Zenawi to the Commission of Africa, a group of 17 leaders dedicated
to self-rule and economic improvement in the continent. Blair
hoped that Zenawi would lead his country on the path to democracy.
But since he has violated fundamental human rights, Great Britain
should strip him of his title and condemn his actions. To date,
neither has happened.
The people of Ethiopia seek more aid for political
refugees and those wounded in protests. Instead of giving money
to a corrupt government, the global community should send aid
to organizations working directly with the Ethiopian people in
their stuggle against their nation's repressive leadership. This
will ensure that aid money is used for its intended purposes and
not be abused by the government.
Since Zenawi came to power in 1991, the U.S. has
sent a total of $21 billion in aid to the Ethiopian government,
hoping the new leader would create a healthy democracy for his
country. So far the only action the U.S. has taken against the
Zenawi government is a lukewarm threat of cutting off aid payments.
But this threat, made months ago, means very little to a leader
who is capable of killing his own people to stay in power, especially
one who already has accumulated millions of dollars from 14 years
of corrupt rule.
Although the conflict is practically unknown to
most Americans, some have started to recognize Ethiopia's dire
situation. Senator Paul Sarbanes (D-Maryland) wrote a letter to
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice requesting that the administration
work to stop the current violence and help Ethiopia achieve a
real democracy. "I am gravely concerned about the government's
indiscriminate targeting of citizens," wrote Sarbanes, "and
the fact that many have been detained without charge or trial,
in violation of due process."
With
this alarming information, the world must take action to end a
regime guilty of the violation of its people's basic human rights.
