PM Abiy Silenced the Guns in the Horn and Set on Load mode in the Home

It is known that the moment Ethiopia’s Prime Minister (PM) Dr. Abiy came to office, started his visit outside his country and reached neighboring countries in the horn of Africa like Eretria. In his early days, he held the top job of the country in April 2018, on the back of three years of continuing unrest that his arrival gave hope for millions of Ethiopians. The commander in chief and the leader of Africa’s second-most populous complex nations and nationalities dragged Eritrean president Isaias Afwerki into the table and persuaded him to end the long-term border conflict between their two countries.

And finally silenced the guns from the horn of Africa and due to this achievement brokered by PM Abiy later made him 2019 Nobel peace prize winner.

It was November 4, 2020, when 100 million-plus Ethiopian people learned that Ethiopian PM appearing on state TV who silenced the gun from the horn of Africa ordered to set on a load mode of the gun in the home. The order of the PM came after Alleged attacks on different army bases including Mekelle, the capital city of Tigray Regional State. Abiy Ahmed said that attackers “tried to loot’’ military assets adding that ‘’the last red lines had been crossed’’ forcing the federal government into a military confrontation.

The situation that reached today where bullets went out of the guns that sent lots into the graves, dates back to the minute PM Abiy jumped to the top job of Ethiopia in April 2018.

Like the removal of the ousted government of the Somali Regional State led by President Abdi Mohamud Omer who was the first diehard administration who opposed Abiy’s rule and a good ally of Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF. And then when Abiy Ahmed announced the formation of a new unified party that will include the marginalized regions which are later named as Prosperity Party (PP) and dismantled Ethiopia People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) where three of the four that made the EPRDF coalition and other peripheral parties lead by the historically disadvantaged Regions like Afar, Binishangul-Gumuz, Gambella and Somali; and Harar disappeared into the deep belly of the PP while TPLF refused to go into the PP belly. And the dispute intensified when TPLF leadership held their own election.

TPLF sought the actions of the PM as an eraser of what TPLF has been building for the last almost three decades and accused the PP is staging of weakening the current ethnic-based federal structures and later landing this nation in a unitary state.

The television appearance of the PM said ‘’ we were holding back this option of military intervention’’ just because the federal government cares for the people of Tigray who are facing lots of headaches under the TPLF rule of TPLF and didn’t want to make the sounds of the gun for them.

Tigray authorities are not the first who defied the government led by the Prime Minister. It was the Somali Regional State lead by Ex-President, Abdi Mohamed Omer, was the first sitting sate defied Abiy rule and we know that it didn’t take too long for the federal government to dislodge the former government lead by the ousted Abdi with the full force of Military as it took long to click military option key to remove current Tigray Government.

Why? Of course, the two regions’ statuses are very different and there could be lots of elements that the federal government didn’t rush military operation in the first place like there are huge investments that are done by the policy fattened few states the regions made EPRDF coalition and orphaned others at the same time contributes the economy of the country are in Tigray. Or the federal government couldn’t be sure whether they can overrun and bring state leaders into the cell premises as quickly as possible. Who knows?

My Advice to Back off and Revisit the Reconciliation Room

Letting the bullet go out of the gun, is not the luxury of Ethiopia’s 100 million-plus complex nations and nationalities population. And if both sides insist on continuing this ugly situation if bullets went out of the gun ones and introduce all cards into the play to let down each other; they are presumably thinking that the reconciliation room is so black and tables are deserted so that reconciliation is not an option at this time. I tell them they are both mistaken.

And inviting them a Somali Saying that gives hope and out rules that kind of mentality and fit for when things like this happen in the real word and where human faults skyrocketed; it is like this: ‘’Hadhuub Daatay Caanaa Dabadaa Laqabanjiray’’ Laterally means “Don’t Cry for Spilled Milk.” So that I am requesting from both sides that the reconciliation room that is fully furnished and full of better options other than listening to the melody of the gun sound is always in place and tables are will never ever deserted.

And adding another Somali saying goes: ‘’Dagaal Wiil baa ku Dhinta ee Wiil kuma Dhasho’’. Loosely translates ‘’War Doesn’t Give you a Child but only Takes One Away’’.

Therefore, minds should work! Staying on the battlefield is not an option anymore put the guns down and look back to the Reconciliation room back and bring the peace into the yard as quickly as possible.