disinformation | feed or fight: eritrea-ethopia at war

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feed or fight: eritrea-ethopia at war
by Preston Peet (ptpeet@cs.com) - December 28, 2000

Since May 1998 a horrific war in the Horn of Africa has been waged between Ethiopia and Eritrea. One gruesome war picture showed thousands of dead Ethiopian bodies, mowed down as their insane leaders ordered them to attack Eritrean positions in human waves. Where are these two poor, famine-ravaged countries getting their arms to fight this bloody conflict? Just who is it profiting off one of the largest land wars since World War II?

According to one researcher, Ethiopia is being goaded into the war by the US, to destabilize Eritrea, one of the only small, independent, nearly-self sufficient countries in the African continent today. Thomas Mountain, founding co-chair of the Hawaii Black History Committee in 1985, and founding vice-president of the Hawaii Alliance for Peace and Justice in the Middle East in 1982 (and a founder of the Hawaii Green Cross, a medical-marijuana activist organization) has reported that the US is financially backing the conflict.

In an article entitled US Behind Invasion of Eritrea (June 15th, 2000), Mountain points out "that in the last 18 months, the American government has provided Ethiopia with at least $460 Million in aid in the form of hard, convertible cash. The Economist reports that the UK-based International Institute for Strategic Studies claims that Ethiopia has spent over $460 Million on arms in the last year alone, almost all of it from Russia, and former Soviet block countries. Could these 2 numbers be coincidental?" Eritrea was almost entirely self-reliant, depending on outside help mainly from the Eritrean Diaspora, says Mountain.

Merhawi Hagos Mesghina points out in his historical review Eritrea Under Fire, that "every African nation is a creation of European colonization, and Eritrea is no exception." The area now known as Eritrea has gone by many names throughout history: Medri Geez ("Land of the Free"), Medri Bahi ("Land by the Sea"), and Mareb Mallash ("Land this side of the river Mareb"). There are nine separate ethno-linguistic groups, and a citizenry made up almost equally of Christians and Muslims.

The Turks invaded the area in 1517, ruling until displaced by the Egyptians in 1848. During this time, "the Abyssinians (Ethiopians) also invaded and took occasional control of some parts of Eritrea," writes Mesghina. The Italians landed at the port of Massawa in 1885. By 1890, they controlled all areas between the Red Sea and the Mereb River. Italy declared Eritrea their colony, and brought it under a single, central rule for the first time in Eritrea's history.

In 1941, during World War II, Great Britain defeated Italy, and Eritrea became a British colony. The UN decided in 1951 that Eritrea would administer itself domestically, while the Ethiopians would administer federal affairs. Ethiopian Emperor Hailie Salassie, writes Mesghina, proceeded to strip "away the emblems of Eritrea's uniqueness, and destroyed the substance of democracy and autonomy through bribery, intimidation, and often brute force."

In November 1962, through what Mesghina describes as a "rigged election," Eritrea was annexed into Ethiopia. In 1960, rebel forces in Eritrea had already begun what was to become one of the longest wars for independence in modern African history, eventually gaining formal independence in 1993.

The continuing Eritrean-Ethiopian conflict raises many disturbing questions. Is the US-led West now actively working to destabilize the region? Is the World Trade Organization not happy with an independent, debt-free Eritrea? Have profiteering arms dealers played the two countries off each other? Has amnesic coverage of the latest famine been due to 'compassion fatigue' and editorial formulas compromised by the global media's political economy?

Two things are certain: both countries are now in dire need of humanitarian assistance. And both are now vulnerable to more outside intervention and exploitation.

The Tragedy In The Horn
This essay by Kole Kilibara, an anti-war activist and student organizer in Washington DC, points out that the US backs both sides, and is apparently working to destabilize the region, so as to maintain some sort of hegemony, or control over the area. Multinational corporations who yearn to take advantage of still untapped natural oil and mineral reserves can move in, or stay as the case may be. Eritrea is said to be the more aggressive due to US urging and backing. The warmongering elite on both sides owe their power to the Americans, and that the answer is not to give more help to countries in Africa, but to leave them well enough alone to develop the necessary social infrastructures. Let them get it together themselves. They will if the West would quit stirring up the mix. The Washington Post article cited is not really cited, nor is there a way to contact the writer. It is little details, or the lack thereof, that give one pause for thought. Is this disinformation, or astute?

Flow Of Weapons Fuels Conflict In Horn Of Africa: Human Rights Watch
This Media Institute of Southern Africa/Inter Press Service (September 4th, 1998) article by Judith Achieng, reports on the war in the Sudan. It also mentions a Human Rights Watch report that noted that three different countries in the Horn of Africa have received military and political support, Ethiopia, Eritrea, and Uganda, from the US in recent years. Now Ethiopia and Eritrea have decimated each other in a "border" conflict that has done nothing to help alleviate the famine and drought currently ravaging the two countries.

Ethiopian Regime Continues To Perpetrate Wanton Destruction
These Eritrean Ministry of Foreign Affairs press releases outlines the continued destruction going on inside Eritrea by Ethiopian troops. Not a pretty picture. Or are these press releases really just de-facto propaganda?

Ethiopian Misinformation: Demagogy & Nepotism In The Current War In The Horn Of Africa
According to this article by Awate Fenkil (August 28th, 1998), Ethiopia claimed that Eritrea was occupying some of Ethiopian territory, so Ethiopia had to invade Eritrea . . . oops, the "contested area" to drive out the invaders. Seems Ethiopia did not specify exactly where this area was, except to claim that Eritrean forces were in it, and had to go. Ethiopia wrote the UN claiming that there were ongoing negotiations between it and Eritrea, but neglected to say just what those negotiations were about, and how far they had gotten. Then Ethiopia attacked.

Analysis: Arms Pour In For Border War
This BBC report by Patrick Gilkes (March 2nd, 1999) details the arms acquisitions of both sides of this hellish conflict. Seems that someone is making a lot of money off this war, but it sure isn't the fighters.

War In Africa's Horn: Special Report
Here is the BBC's 1999 reporting on the Eritrea-Ethiopia conflict, which they insist on referring to as a "border conflict." From here it is hard to say whether Ethiopia is intent on taking Eritrea lock, stock and barrel, as say some researchers into the war in the Horn today. Other observers of this conflict suggest that the landlocked Ethiopia is simply driving towards the coast to give themselves access to a port.

UN Appeals For $87.3 Million For Eritrean Displaced
This Reuters report (July 19, 2000) illustrates quite clearly how formerly independent Eritrea now is in dire need of financial assistance to help it out of its deplorable situation. 1.1 million Eritreans (nearly a third of the population of the country) have been displaced by the war with Ethiopia.

Sudan State Mobilizes Against Eritrean
This Reuters report (July 20, 2000) notes that Sudan is mobilizing troops along the border it shares with Eritrea, accusing Eritrea of preparing to invade. Eritrea denies there is any basis to rumors they plan to attack Sudan.

Eritrean Flags
If you are interested in seeing the flags that past Eritrean governments have been used, (some are still in use), then visit here.

Combined News Reports On Eritrean-Ethiopian War
The first two reports here (February 1999) tell of how Ethiopia was forcing young boys, in their teens, to take up arms and go fight. Most die in bloody combat, caught in a senseless war.

Aid Withheld as Famine Grips Horn of Africa
This World Socialist article (April 19, 2000) by Barbara Slaughter seems to miss the point that if the Ethiopian government wasn't spending so much money on fighting a war (buying weapons of death), perhaps they wouldn't need to ask foreigners to give them handouts and food aid. Seems pretty simple to me. Quit fighting the stupid war, work together and feed their people; both countries should to be honest, not just Ethiopia. This article focuses on how the war is the West's fault, and that cutting food caused a rise in starving Ethiopians. Food aid might have helped feed people, but more likely, it would have bought even neater, more accurate, more destructive weaponry. This article reads like an Ethiopian embassy communique.

US Boost Horn of Africa Food Aid
This Associated Press article (May 18, 2000) by David Breiscoe noted that international aid organizations are asking how it is that the Ethiopian and Eritrean governments, spending up to US$1 million a day on weapons, cannot help stop the famine and drought ravaging their own countries.

CIA World Factbook: Ethiopia
The CIA's pertinent facts about Ethiopia.

US Behind Invasion Of Eritrea
This essay by Thomas Mountain (founder of the US Eritrean Peoples' Friendship Association, and long time revolutionary political activist and anti-racism educator) details the US-backed Ethiopia-as-aggressor side of the conflict between Ethiopia and Eritrea. Well worth a visit to read this background information, but keep in mind that the US is apparently involved in both sides of this hellish situation.

Eritrea Under Fire
For an historical run-down of the current bloody situation between Eritrea and Ethiopia, you should read this review by Merhawi Hagos Mesghina of the University of Windsor, Ontario, Canada. Lots of minute detail here, lots of background.

Eyewitness: Reporting The War In The Horn of Africa
This BBC article by East Africa correspondent Cathy Jenkins (March 1st, 1999) gets the highest rating simply for its open portrayal of the problems inherent in trying to report a war without insulting one side or the other, while actually in and out of the battle zones. Trying to report on this war from outside is extremely difficult. Both sides have their own propaganda efforts going, and both of course accuse the other of being the aggressor. As Jenkins writes here, "It is impossible to win. No matter how many times one writes 'Eritrea says this, Ethiopia denies it,' or 'Ethiopia says this, and Eritrea denies it,' someone is going to be extremely unhappy."

Hundreds Killed In The Horn Of Africa
This BBC article (March 16, 1999) by Alex Last reports on the multitude of dead Ethiopians just feet from the Eritrean trenches, where desperate fighting had taken place, often hand to hand.

Eritrean Online Community Network: DEHAI
Here you can read the Eritrean side of things, from why the conflict between Eritrea and Ethiopia really started (and what it all means) to information on just about anything Eritrean.

Undermining Development: The European Arms Trade With The Horn Of Africa & Central Africa
This report by William Benson details the massive amounts of arms sent both openly and illicitly by various European countries. This disturbing undercurrent continues, despite arms embargoes, an already ravaged citizenry, and fledgling attempts at waging peace instead of war.

Guardian Special Reports: Fighting Flares Up Again In The Horn Of Africa
Here you can read many different Guardian newspaper reports (2000) on the Eritrea-Ethiopia war.

Famine & Politics In The Horn Of Africa
This essay by Yohannes Woldemariam (April 27, 2000) notes that the Ethiopians have "been waging a pointless and costly war" for the last two years with Eritrea, causing undue stress, hardship and hunger to the domestic population of both countries.

Africa's Inexplicable Horn
This IntellectualCapital.com article (May 18, 2000) by Frank Smyth notes that the practice of prolonging famine in Ethiopia is not an unheard of tactic to punish one's enemies, if one is ruler of Ethiopia. What an evil idea. In the latest war between Ethiopia and Eritrea, Ethiopia drew first blood by attacking and killing a handful of Eritrean soldiers patrolling the border, but Eritrea did not publicize the incident. Perhaps they hoped to avert an unneeded and unwanted war?

Ethiopia: Land of Zion
This is a collection of interesting, informative articles on all sorts of topics related to Ethiopia. The subtitle on the page itself, 'Land of Plenty', is odd considering the current drought and famine, but hey, I'm grouchy because I've been reading about nothing but war, death and destruction in these two countries for a couple days now. I'm astounded that two countries suffering the problems of lacking plenty would continue to fight each other. Still, this page is worth a visit to take your mind off the war. Of course, if it is due to outside entities stirring up shit between them, then perhaps the continuing conflict is understandable.

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