JidbaaleToday’s only empire, Ethiopia, is imperialistic, especially in the Horn of Africa. During the age of Menelik II in the nineteenth century and up until the present, Ethiopia has justified territorial acquisition at the cost of its neighbors, mainly Somalia. The emperor Menelik II was assisted by France, the UK, Russia, and Italy, which has enabled Ethiopia to annex Hadiya, Kaffa, Wellega, Afar, Sidamo, Ganbela, Benshigul Gumuz and Harar. Somalia has been on the Ethiopian imperial agenda since the 1880s.
Ethiopia has historical, cultural, and religious predispositions towards expansionism. Almost all the ethnic groups and federal territories are Muslims, with the exception of the elite Abyssinians, who are Christians. Ethnic politics is prejudiced to the disadvantage of Muslims who cannot get promoted for the higher positions. Today’s leadership is made of ‘Christian Oromos;’ the religious foundation propels them to extend their territorial jurisdiction. Their actions in Somalia are usually depicted as a military campaign to change the borders of Somalia and establish a Christian state.
Its geopolitics hence have extraneous pressures, which are best seen in Ethiopia’s committed construction of naval and commercial ports to the tune of $ 8 billion, fully ignoring its defaulted IMF and World Bank debts.
Ethiopia’s incursion into Somalia, which began in 2006 and lasted until 2009, was a breach of Somalia’s sovereignty, territorial integrity, unity, and political independence. The attack was done in the pretext of responding to the Islamic Court Union consolidation of power, but in real sense, the Ethiopian regime targeted the Somali people for territorial conquest and to diminish nationalist movements. The allegations made against Ethiopia include a number of grave human rights abuses such as killings, torture, forced evictions, and destructions. As such, the international community cannot continue to remain silent and must act to bring the perpetrators in Ethiopia to justice.
Ethiopia has been pursuing imperialistic policies towards its neighbors in the Horn of Africa and other nearby countries, such as Djibouti, Eritrea, and Kenya. The international community should force Ethiopia out of Somali territory, accept Somali sovereignty and borders, seek a genocide case against Ethiopia, and encourage diplomacy toward conflict resolution. Ethiopia has long been expansionist, and its current expansionism is very historical and cultural, posing a great danger to Somalia’s sovereignty and the whole of Africa.
@TheVillaSomalia
