Dr. Abiy Ahmed, Congratulations and Thank You
Amanuel Biedemariam
In the eyes of one Eritrean, me, and I am sure many share my view; this is a new day in the history of Eritrea and Ethiopia. The very fact that I am sitting and writing praises to an Ethiopian leader is a milestone. I never envisioned that can happen, let alone so-soon after a bloody 20 years that tested our limits. But it did.
For housekeeping, let’s be clear here. The Nobel was wrong not to give the award to President Isaias and Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed as they have done in 1978 to Anwar al-Sadat, President of Egypt, and Menachem Begin, Prime Minister of Israel, “for their contribution to the two frame agreements on peace in the Middle East, and on peace between Egypt and Israel, which were signed at Camp David on September 17, 1978.”
Second, the Nobel is biased political tool that exposed itself for its political dispositions attuned to an agenda that three US administrations pursued. The Clinton, Bush and Obama administrations followed the same agenda. They pursued Liberal Hegemony in various parts of Africa and around the world that championed tyrants and regime change in countries that resisted in order to ensure America’s footprints in the name of democracy, freedom of press, free market economy etc. Wars, sanctions, arms embargo and isolation where some of the tools they used successfully in fragile nations that cannot withstand these pressures.
The Europeans were in-on-it; followed US lead and took part in all of US’s endeavors for decades.
It was, therefore, natural for Europe to use the Nobel Peace Award not for what it professes to represent rather, as a tool for their agendas.
Furthermore, the committee is comprised of politicians with clear political agendas that push political views of the European Union consistent to US policies whether it is against Russia, Syria, Eritrea, Sudan and Libya etc.
To demonstrate the connections and to show their predisposition, we can look at the history of the longest serving Nobel members. According to their bios,
Thorbjorn Jagland is a Norwegian politician from the Labour Party. He served as the Secretary General of the Council of Europe from 2009 to 2019. He served as Prime Minister of Norway from 1996 to 1997, as Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2000 to 2001 and as President of the Starting from 2005 to 2009.
Berit Reiss-Andersen Executive Officer at the Norwegian Office of Immigration, DLA Piper (US based law firm) Norway Partner, Vice Minister at the Ministry of Justice and Police, Prosecutor at the Oslo District Police, Legal adviser at the Norwegian Ministry of Justice.
It was natural for this committee to award the Noble Peace prize to president Obama few months after his presidency, not for what he achieved but, “for his extraordinary “efforts” to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples.” Emphasis added.
The idea and justification for awarding the Nobel prize to President Obama was the same as it is for Dr. Abiy Ahmed. And that is to bolster their image, to enhance their stature as they pursue the prescribed agendas.
When he received his Nobel, president Obama had made zero contributions to world peace.
This time however, Nobel got more than what they bargained for. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed knew exactly what the moment meant to him, the world, Africa and especially for Eritrea and Ethiopia. He knew and understood what it meant for the people of Eritrea and Ethiopia moving forward.
He captured the moment for what it was. He used every second of that moment to send very explicit and settle messages. Some of the messages were overtly articulated but there were settle messages that he did not have time to penetrate as deep as he may have liked.
For long, the people of the region were held hostage by history, wars and by outside actors that tried to impose their will at the expense of the future of the people.
The very people who sat to listen to Dr. Abiy, those who awarded him the prize were champions of what ailed Eritrea, Ethiopia, the region and Africa for a long time.
Dr. Abiy’s overt messages were to the Westernrs and Europeans who championed wars in the Middle East and Africa in aftermath of the fall of the Soviet Union by a US dominated world at the cost of trillions of dollars, millions of lives, destructions and countless opportunities lost.
He spoke directly to those who championed regime change agendas and wars, by telling them, I have experienced wars and know what it means to fear. I have witnessed the wrath of war, seen death of my colleagues and I felt for the families.
Unlike others, Dr. Abiy knows wars and saw the ravages of war and as result yearned for peace, thought peace in the heart and managed to reach out for peace with the right intentions. And his hands were received by open arms of the people of Eritrea and a president that knows war is “Bullshit.”
President Isais Afwerki and the people of Eritrea were unfairly demonized and made to suffer for two decades unnecessarily. Dr. Abiy’s gesture was not only welcome, it was something that Eritrea worked very hard to achieve. Dr. Abiy was right when he called President Isaias my partner. He was also right to say that peace is like a tree that must be nurtured. A plant that must be fed, watered and protected.
We all remember when Dr. Abiy made his first visit to Eritrea. President Isaias stood on a podium and told Dr. Abiy the people of Eritrea and Ethiopia in Tigrigna, (rough translation)
“What we saw today expressed on the streets by the people was indescribable. It was not only to welcome you but to truly express their feelings from the heart. The people of Eritrea received their right to openly express their feeling of love. It was expression of their sincere desire. They expressed it openly because they were unable to control their emotions. Therefore, congratulations. What you have witnessed and experienced is the true feeling of the people of Eritrea.”
President Isais continued,
“The choice Dr. Abiy made is not an easy choice. This choice, truly…, for twenty-five years, when after years of struggle…, at a time when we felt that we can move forward towards development, twenty-five years is a long time; our opportunities were disrupted. And there is no way to measure the opportunities we lost. However, from where we stand today, we can say that we have not lost. So, I congratulate you Dr. Abiy. We are together. We will share the challenges we face and the opportunities we gain, together. We are together. We will face and overcome. Don’t worry.”
Peace is precious. After decades of wars, the peace that the people of Eritrea and Ethiopia won must be safeguarded for the people of Eritrea and Ethiopia to join one of the most dynamic political environments to ever grace our region.
Dr. Abiy did the right thing when he reached out to Eritrea and asked to join hands in peace. That was the move the people of Eritrea needed to move forward. It was right move because it provided his new government the security blanket it needed from vile, rogue, criminal TPLF elements that are scheming to destabilize the region.
It was the right move because without peace, the region would have been engulfed by civil unrest, intra-ethnic conflicts and perpetual misery without end. Which happens to be what the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) Weyane wanted and wants for Eritrea and Ethiopia unapologetically.
Therefore, to nurture and safeguard peace TPLF criminals must be kept in check. And they are. The people of Eritrea and Ethiopia must cooperate as they have in the past to eject TPLF out of Menelik Palace, Addis Ababa. And they will! Ethiopia and Eritrea must erase the TPLF-Weyane mindset from the region completely. De-Weyanization of the region is a must! It will happen!
Dr. Abiy ascertained with his words and his actions that his commitment is real. The fact that he said, “I am my brother’s keeper” said a lot because he said it to the world. He told the world that I am not the person who will stab my friends. By acknowledging his partnership with President Isaias, he validated the friendships and added a layer to the friendship and helped build trust with the people of Eritrea.
He also told those who want to create discord by playing one leader against the other; that it is game over. We will work together to rebuild our future as one.
Listening to Dr. Abiy giving his acceptance speech was inspiring. I got the sense that Dr. Abiy has a clear vision and knows what the future looks like. He understands the opportunities and Eritrean and Ethiopian places in the world. He knows how important this moment is and what it means for the youth, employment, stability, prosperity and security of the region. Better yet, Dr. Abiy is determined to do it with clear understanding knowing what it takes.
Conclusion
The people of Eritrea and Ethiopia are facing a future that is bright provided they cease the moment. After the end of the Cold War, over the last 29 years, the world underwent a unique transformation that changed the global arrangements which is coming to fruition now.
As result, we are witnessing nations from the Middle East, Asia, Europe, Russia and the US vying to strengthen their foothold in our region. It is, therefore, incumbent upon the children of the region to ask why not us? Why can’t we take our future on our hands? That is the message I heard Dr. Abiy give in Belgium.
I thank Dr. Abiy for echoing peace, friendship, cooperation, prosperity and for making it clear that gone are the days of betrayal between Eritrea and Ethiopia. We have a lot of advantages by cooperation on all fields. It is Time.
Awetnayu@hotmail.com
