TRUCE IN ETHOPIA — THANK YOU AFRICAN UNION (AU)
On the joyous day of November 12, 2022 in the city of Nairobi, a beautiful news issued about the war torn Ethiopia announcing a truce between the two warring factions there — a truce brokered by the Africa Union (AU). For someone like me, long awaiting a critical solution to the 2 year carnage, it was a galore worth celebrating with champagne. I will explain the reason for my celebrations shortly.
I actually got to know about the war in Ethiopia not long ago, partly because it was starkly under reported by the Western media. Thus, while many lives perished in the war, especially lives of Tigray people who obviously were the underdog in the war, life in other parts of the world carried on, unfeeling to the cries of woes, of hunger, of famine and countless war crimes committed all in the name of blind ‘nationalism’, by one brother on another.
Regardless of the cause of the war that started in November 2020, I was hurt and despondent over its heartless prosecution by the two factions involved, plus their supporters. I was especially sored by the attitude of Western powers to the war, who instead of finding means to end the carnage supported the unfolding destructions tacitly through supply of armaments to the war mongers. They didn’t even report the casualty and ensuing suffering in their news media. Can you fault the West, long known to promote their business interests at the expense of “opportunity cost”, even if such business interests leads to decimation of innocent souls and destruction of properties? This was my quiet contemplation until the news was announced that African Union (AU) through their learned mediator in the person of Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, ex Nigerian President, had negotiated TRUCE between the two warring brothers. What a great relief it was to finally have peace return to Tigray!
Sincerely speaking, the time is ripe for AFRICA to deal with her problems using African or homegrown solution and reduce waiting on the WEST to act and help out. The WEST couldn’t care less about Africa’s war when their own war stare them in the face and threaten to overblow in their face. If same fervor applied in solving this war problem between Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) and the Ethiopian government could be applied to other intractable problems afflicting the African continent, we will be on the way to TRUE REDEMPTION AND DEVELOPMENT. This should be the lesson we take away from 2022 into the New Year and beyond. Like President Obama affirmed years ago at the cusp of his electoral miracle in the US, if we believe we can, YES WE CAN.
To close, permit me to use this medium to say to the AFRICAN UNION (AU), thank you sirs. Don’t STOP there, we expect more action!
Cheers!
WALE SASAMURA OWOEYE ESQ.
PS: WALE SASAMURA OWOEYE has a new book on CRT entitled TUPAC AMARU SHAKUR/FELA ANIKULAPO KUTI — REVOLUTIONARIES OR MATYRS available on top online bookstores. You will love it!