Ethiopia is a land-locked country like many African countries. It does not need naval warships for not having sea coast. Somalia, Somaliland and Djabouti will not let their archenemy warships use their seaports for security reasons unless they are civilian commercial cargo ships and will drive back Ethiopian warships if they try to enter Somali waters in the Horn of Africa.
Ethiopia is under continuous destruction by uncontrollable, persistent civil wars in the North of the country between Eritrean-supported Amhara and Afar on one side and Tigray on the other side. Millions, who are displaced by the wars, either went to Sudanese Refugee camps or are internally displaced People after the ethnic cleansing wars in Tigray Region in 2020-2021. Millions face starvation for having severe malnutrition inside Ethiopia. Ethiopia is a war-ravaged country where corruption, anarchy and chaos prevail with no able governing central power or authority.
So, with military and economy collapsed, foreign policy in shambles and under severe sanctions because of extreme human rights abuses, why is the weak government in Addis-Ababa headed by PM Abiy Ahmed wasting so much money on warships that Ethiopia does not need and that could be sold in international market in the future for being land-locked country instead of spending that hard currency on the civil war affected people in war-torn Ethiopia where millions face starvation? Maybe PM Abiy Ahmed is self-indulging with the unnecessary warships to pretend that there are no man-made calamities in Ethiopia and the country is rising.
Breaking up Ethiopia into stable, peaceful independent republics like Yugoslavia is much easier than making peace reconciliation among the ethnic groups in Ethiopia because of long-standing acrimony, hatred and bitterness among them as legacy of Amhara domination, subjugation and colonial enslavement on the rest of Ethiopia. Tigray people may never accept government ruled by Amhara for leading or spearheading the ethnic cleansing against the Tigray people in 2020-2021; Tigray and Afar may never want to share a government too for the ongoing, unforgettable cruel ethnic wars between them. Similarly, Oromo, the largest ethnic group in Ethiopia, and Somalis, the third largest ethnic group, may never accept the rule of Amhara and Tigray (Abyssinians) again for dominating, subjugating and enslaving them and other Ethnic groups by their unitary governments and kingdoms for a long time.
Amhara is the only ethnic group against federalism and democracy in Ethiopia for believing that they lost the unchallenged exclusive power they had before with democratic federalism. Amhara is so hostile to PM Abiy Ahmed these days because they see Oromo rise to power through Abiy Ahmed and not as a Prime Minister of All Ethiopia. For fear of democracy in Ethiopia, Isaias Afwerki, the brutal dictator of Eritrea, arms and trains Amhara and Afar against PM Abiy Ahmed’s administration, Oromo and Somalis hoping to restore the old colonial Amhara kingdoms which has no chance at all to return because time and people changed and weapons are abundantly available to reject the return of the old Abyssinian tyrannies.
Ibrahim Hassan Gagale
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