Striving for lasting peace!

Gemechu Tussa

The Horn Region is one of the most volatile Regions where internal and external conflicts and natural disasters have been displacing a large number of people mainly women and children.

Peoples of the region move from one conflicting corner to another with in one country or from one country to other neighboring countries. According to recent reports of UNCHR, one of the major causes of displacement in the Horn Region is conflict and instability. People move to relatively stable neighboring countries to escape disasters.  

Ethiopia is one of the stable countries in Africa. The refugee influx to this country has been alarmingly increasing from one time to anther.  It hosts the largest number of refugees in Africa. One of the most important witnesses about Ethiopia’s devotion to the people in the Horn Region is the fact that that it has opened its boarders to people fleeing from Eritrea, South Sudan, Somalia and other countries.

It is public secret that the conflict in South Sudan has triggered a large refugee influx into Ethiopia. It has overtaken Kenya to become Africa’s largest refugee-hosting country after hundreds of thousands of South Sudanese arrived in the country this year. Documents from UNHCR indicated that the total refugee population in Ethiopia has reached almost 630,000. This scenario has been raising concerns that the country’s capacity to help displaced people may be overstretched.  

The continuing influx of refugees from all countries in the region is putting further strains.  South Sudanese started fleeing their country after President Salva Kiir accused his former vice-president, Riek Machar, of plotting a coup, triggering a wave of violence. Although ceasefires have been agreed, both sides have been accused of committing war crimes and endangering the lives of civilians.

Eritrea’s escalating refugee crisis has also resulted in almost 100,000 people seeking refuge in Ethiopia.  The number of Eritrean refugees coming into Ethiopia has shown a steady increase in the past five consecutive years. A decades-long conflict in Somalia has driven about 250,000 refugees across the border into Ethiopia since 1991, the number of Somali arrivals has declined in recent months, as indicated in the UNHCR’s report.

Ethiopia, to ensure peace and stability in the Region, to consolidate its tremendous efforts towards ensuring and maintaining peace and realizing sustainable development, has been working hard.  As a result, it is the leading country in deploying peacekeeping forces to manage conflicts and resolve political problems in the region.

Recognizant of that the people and government of Ethiopia have been playing pivotal role in ensuring and maintaining peace and stability in the region. It has deployed troops to South Sudan, Abiye and Darfur under the auspices of the United Nations and the Africa Union.  The role Ethiopia has been playing to bring an enduring peace in South Sudan is a tangible indication of its commitment for peace. It has also been playing a significant role in Somalia as well as in Darfu.

Some people ask why Ethiopia has been sacrificing in those countries to bring lasting peace and ensure stability. The reasons are as plain as the nose on our face. Firstly, to help those brothers and sisters of neighboring people live peacefully at their villages that is to mitigate tensions and bloodsheds among people. Secondly, any kind of conflict or instability in any country in the Horn Region has either direct or indirect impact on all neighboring countries that Ethiopian doesn’t want to be affected by such instability. Thirdly, Ethiopia has determined to realize its vision to become one of the middle income countries in 2025 through ensuring fast and sustainable economic growth as well as social development.

The government and people of Ethiopia have already experienced how it’s hard to alleviate poverty and ensure sustainable economic development amidst conflict.  They learnt from the history of countries in the region that ensuring development in one country is impossible without the thriving of peace in the region.

Ethiopia has intended to maintain stable environment so that it will effectively work industriously towards mitigating poverty and ensuring sustainable economic development; thereby, contributing for regional economic integration.

The people have been working in collaboration with the government to cease any anti-development activities. All Ethiopians need to come together to fight poverty. Ethiopia has been involving in peacekeeping mission in the region because it is in the country’s best interest. As Minister Getachew Reda mentioned it, the development of the country largely depends on what is done wrong or what is done right. What portion of the society is benefiting? One country cannot afford to be in an island of stability in a troubled neighborhood.

To sum up, the struggle for the thriving of peace and stability is part and parcel of Ethiopia’s plan to alleviate poverty and ensure sustainable economic development. The bone of contention behind the scarification of Ethiopians for lasting peace is, therefore, the country’s determination to help and collaborate with neighboring people and also to create a peaceful and conducive environment for economic development.