Why is Meles Zenawi Meddling In Somalia ?
Opinion from inside the Country.
By Abdi Farah
December 19,2006

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As a Somali living in Ethiopia, I mostly have had a question roaming in my mind: Why is Mr. Meles Zenawi meddling in and concerned about the Somali crisis? Similarly, many people both Somalis inside Ethiopia and those in the republic are still puzzled by the naked and negative intervention of Mr. Zenawi in the affairs of Somalia!

Needles to say, from his forceful self-inauguration as Ethiopian prime minister to the present day, the Ethiopian leader has actively and notoriously been involved in Somali’s political developments or deterioration by aiding and pushing one Somali faction or another. As the leader of a neighboring country, he has never outstretched a hand of help to the people of the failed state, Somalia! On the contrary, he poured explosives and other military ammunitions into the failed state through his comrades, the defeated, traitorous Somali warlords.

One must see that the following factors push the Ethiopian leader to disrupt the Somali peace process so that his rule will remain intact:

  1. Fear that Ethiopia’s fifth Zone (Kilir Amist or The Somali Region) will break away from Ethiopia to join its sisterly Somalia. This fear is primarily due to Somalia’s longstanding dream of expansionism to form the dreamed state of Greater Somalia.
  2. As America’s agent in the East Africa, Mr. Meles sells to the United States of America that Islamist elements in Somalia are harboring international terrorists who are a threat not only to the Horn of Africa but to the entire world as well. This is in order to get fund from USA so that he can use this fund to solve his internal political tensions.
  3. To make the Ethiopian nationals who are 85 Per cent supporters of the opposition Parties busy with border conflicts with Somalia and create hatred among Ethiopians and Somalis, so that the inside political difficulties would be diverted to Somalia.
  4. The belief of magic and fortunetelling that no sooner had Somalia stabilized, the Tigre rule would come to an end and that Ethiopia would suffer a lot! (In Ethiopia, there is a widespread political rumor that Mr. Zenaiw has Indian fortune-tellers as his political advisors!!!!!)

 Mr. Zenawi’s recent declaration of war with ICU in Somalia has reminded the world to see again the pictures of starved children scattered throughout Somalia and a sudden influx of refugees into Kenyan border with Somalia. This provocative statement by the Ethiopian PM has particularly scared the Somali community living in Ethiopia let it be Somali-Ethiopians or Somalis from Somalia.

Fortunately, the possibility of this declared war taking place is unlikely if the Ethiopian leader fails to get IGAD to participate in his militarily plan. This is so because there are internal barriers preventing the Ethiopian leader alone to wage war against the ICU at the moment. These impasses include:

  1. Escalating opposition from his cabinet and lawmakers for a war with the ICU at the moments as Ethiopia is suffering from food shortage and HIV/AIDS epidemics.
  2. The fear that Eritrea will take the chance to weaken its enemy at war, Ethiopia, by militarily supporting the ICU or by trying to occupy the disputed territory between Eritrea and Ethiopia.
  3. Suspicion that there might be military coup by some of the army generals if war with the ICU started. 
  4. Fear that the armed opposition elements within Ethiopia, like the OLF and ONLF will either go to join the ICU or start internal guerilla operations.

United States of America’s recent draft proposal to the United Nations Security Council to lift the arms embargo from Somalia has been a chance in million for Mr. Zenawi, because he expects to see a world united to fight against the ICU, that has been a thorn in his flesh. But to his dismay, under the drafted proposal, the proposed peacekeepers will not include those from the countries having border with Somalia, including Ethiopia!

It is ridiculous to see USA advocating to deprive Somalia of its newly achieved stability and order after more than fifteen years of shooting and looting accompanied by famine diseases!

Abdi Farah
Diridhabe- Ethiopia
Email: wadani10@hotmail.com

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