Ethiopia Cannot be Safe Haven for the Lawless

Gebre-Cherkos  G/Mariam

The Ethiopian Orthodox Church (EOC) Patriarch, His Holiness Arch Bishop Mathias on August 9, 2016, in the wake of breaking out of violence in various towns of Amhara and Oromiya Regional States, said that EOC had deeply saddened by the current violence that caused the loss of irreplaceable lives and destruction of properties. He said every faithful should stand sentinel to peace as it is invaluable to existence.

The Patriarch said that peace is the pillar of existence and development and Orthodox Church strongly condemns any act of violence and destruction. He said EOC has been tirelessly striving to strengthen peace, love and unity of the people of Ethiopian. He said the faithful should listen to the call of EOC to maintain peace and refrain from any act of violence and conflict that may incur blood bath and devastation.

His Holiness advised that peace is the foundation of development and all the faithful should not do any illegal and immoral acts that may induce violence. He said all the faithful should safeguard themselves and their country from any destructive acts that may be instigated by some non-faithful that do not know the merciful and peaceful teachings of Jesus Christ.

The Patriarch said that violence and conflict are challenges of peaceful co-existence and development of people. All Christians (and Muslim brothers) need to preserve the age-old values of peace, love and respect and bequeath these priceless assets to the next generation.

Abune Mathias has called upon the faithful and all Ethiopians to strengthen peace, peaceful-coexistence and fight against poverty and contribute their share to the country's renaissance journey there by maintaining their unity and peace. He also called upon citizens to closely work with the government in a bid to thrive peace.

Similarly, Catholic Church Archbishop Cardinal BirhaneYesus Surafel said that peace and cohabitation are the best assets and infallible moral fibers of Ethiopian people. Accordingly, people should strive to maintain peace and secure their country from violence and destruction which are the causes of death of people and loss of property.

He said, in case of disagreement, people should seek solution through peaceful dialogue and mutual understanding. Conflict and violence are by no means solutions to any dispute. The peace and development of this country will flourish when there is peace and all people should work hard to strengthen peace, love and unity.

In addition, religious fathers of various denominations had conveyed messages of peace, unity and solidarity following the news of conflict being staged in some corners of the country, particularly in Amhara and Oromiya states. They said the faithful should be vigilant to protect their country from mindless hooligans who are hell bent on destruction and causing nation-wide turmoil. All fathers had advised their respective faithful to abstain from any illegal and immoral acts that may destroy the peaceful life of people and bulldoze prosperity of the country.

The clash that occurred between security forces and protesters in BhairDar and Gonder towns of Amhara State and some towns of Oromiya State had been propagated by various social web sites and chroniclers. Witnessing destruction, Amhara State Communication Office Head, Nigussu Tilahun said that the clash that occurred between security forces and irresponsible protesters had caused human causality and property loss. He said the State had deeply saddened by the loss of lives, which is indeed regrettable.

According to him, the public had raised some issues of good governance and development which should be addressed through a thoroughly discussion, collaboration and investigation. However, some messages that were forwarded by some individuals were unconstitutional and completely contrary to the belief of people, principle of the constitution and the Federal System of Administration that had managed to effect tremendous change in the country, though at its budding stage compared to the history of federalism.

He said the public should refrain from illegal public demonstrations that are orchestrated by incredible individuals who are social media savvy and fabricator of make-believe stories, which is not credible source of information. He said the demonstrations organized in Gonder,  BahirDar and some towns of Oromiya State are not representatives of the people of both Amhara  and Oromia States(however, Amhara State had conceded that the demonstrations were incited due to maladministration and corruption).

Anti-development and anti-peace elements, Nigussu said, had fermented the clash between demonstrators and security forces that resulted in death of individuals, which is tragic by all accounts. The agents of devastation had tried to widen the horizon of their ill-fated destruction and incite people to stage similar unrest in various towns (through non-reliable sources of information and social web sites , like face book).

In the contrary, coming in to effect almost 21 years ago this month, the country has become the owner of sun shine Constitution that dictates peace. It has proclaimed to establish a federal democratic system whereby the nations, nationalities and peoples have come together. Willingly, they could exercise their right to self-determination, building a political community founded on a rule of law and capable of ensuring a lasting peace, guaranteeing a democratic order and advancing their economic and social development.

In addition, the Constitution is the bed-rock up on which the current federal system of administration is built. Self-administration, decentralization and identity are given pronounced role as a fundamental essence of federal state arrangement; the Constitution provides a road map by which the nations, nationalities and peoples of the country, whom it considers the ultimate bearer of sovereign power, can fully exercise their various rights.

 Owing to its state structure, as a federal state construct, various states are established as members of the federation. The Constitution stipulates the process through which the states are delimited, which includes language, identity, settlement patterns and the consent of the people in question.

The Constitution also outlines that the House of Federation has the sole power to interpret the Constitution and to bring a peaceful resolution in cases where there are border disputes between neighboring regional states. For instance, earlier this mandate of the House of Federation was exercised in settling the future of four woredas  bordering the Oromia and Somali states about decades ago.

As the woredas in question are inhabited by various nations and nationalities, each state claimed its jurisdiction over the territories. The dispute was resolved after the House of Federation intervened and conducted a referendum where the population in the areas voted as to which regional state they would prefer to be part of.

What so vivid was that the decision of the  House of Federation brought about a peaceful conclusion to the issue of territorial dispute and no one was seen rattling his saber or totting his gun. Likewise, currently the issue of Wolqait, which is serving as a pretext to instigate conflict in Amhara State of Gondar town, could be addressed in a peaceful manner. No reason to inflict damage on innocent lives and hard-earned properties.

So far, despite the aggressive and subversive motive of vandals, extremists and desperado groups, the government has acted in a responsible and accountable manner to the demand of citizens. Moreover, the government is declaring that the problem of corruption and good governance is palpable. However, nation could solve it with the collaboration of people. The government is stressing on the fact that the current problem could be solved with the participation of people and organization of forums that could serve as a venue to join people and the government. So far, the government has been organizing same forums used to glean invaluable ideas of the greater public and implement good governance activities.

As far as possible, the government has stated that rule of law is the final solution to problems. Cognizant of this very fact, it has expressed commitment to curb anti-peace movements before they impose clear and present danger. It said Ethiopia cannot be safe haven of the lawless while it has endorsed dazzling Constitution. Hence, closing all venues of crime and taking appropriate corrective measure is a must-do activity (for the government and peace-loving citizens as well).

Above all, the government has responsibility to secure peace and order. Hence, it cannot sit by and watch as destructive groups vie to dismantle the constitutional order and shatter costly installed infrastructure of the country. Not only the government, but also citizens as well cannot sit by and watch destruction run amok. Citizens all are well aware of their responsibility to fend of anti-peace elements and resume development endeavor.