War is not the choice of the Ethiopian People

Coalition for Unity and Democracy Party (Kinijit)

http://www.kinijitethiopia.org,
e-mailkil@kinijitinternational.org,
Voice Mail/Fax 1-206-203-3974

Press Release

November 31, 2006 — The protection of the unity and territorial integrity of our nation is not only the essence of our Ethiopian values but also our solemn duty. It is imperative to solve our internal problems through democratic dialogue. It is not the will or the choice of the Ethiopian people to get involved in the internal affairs of other nations and start wars. To use war as a diversionary tactic and to involve the nation in a conflict that will result in grave consequences for a long time to come is a national crime impossible to excuse.

Due to the difficult geopolitical situation, Ethiopia’s relations with its neighbors need to be handled with utmost care and extraordinary consideration. With our internal problems murky, war clouds hanging on our Eastern front, the long term consequences for our national interest needs to be deliberated with
utmost care.

At the present time, when the Ethiopian people are suffering under the yoke of EPRDF’s repressive
dictatorship, when the economy is in shambles and the people are in abject poverty, when the army and
the people are irrevocably alienated from the government, when religious and ethnic conflict is
deliberately instigated, when the Inquiry Commission’s report disseminated to the international
community is exposing the political bankruptcy of the Meles regime, to take the nation to war by getting involved in the internal affairs of another country, this is an act of high treason and comparatively worse than all the national crimes the EPRDF has committed since it came to power.

When issues that affect the international community come to the forefront, it is the responsibility of the
various international organizations to find workable solutions. When nations interfere in the internal
affairs of other countries, not only do existing problems remain unresolved but they are actually
compounded. In a poor nation such as Ethiopia that is suffering under a repressive dictatorship, we are
witnessing today the immense political, economic and military quagmire faced by rich and powerful
countries that have unwisely chosen to get militarily involved in other countries’ affairs. It should be
emphasized that the way out of the current troubling situation in the Horn of Africa, specifically in
Somalia is not by taking a unilateral and dangerous declaration of war, but only when international
organizations and the very people who are in the midst of this deplorable situation are allowed to get
actively involved to find their own shared solution for their own internal problems.

Kinijit’s (CUDP) foreign policy is based on these principles of friendliness, non interference in the
internal affairs of neighboring states and peaceful resolution of all conflicts. Even though at different
times successive Somali regimes have put forth the dream of Greater Somalia, Ethiopia has never used
pre-emptive measures to protect itself from such outside aggressors, but has always followed
international law to safeguard itself with Ethiopians always standing united and ready to protect their
homeland irrespective of their ethnic, religious or cultural differences.

The EPRDF regime has lost the respect of its own people and is actively accusing the current power inSomalia of Islamic Fundamentalism so as to instigate a regional religious war. For a country that has half its population professing Islam and bordered by countries who profess Islam, EPRDF’s active instigation of a war that has its core identification as a religious conflict has surely worried Kinijit.

This irresponsible and foolhardy attempt by the EPRDF regime in order to get outside material support for its act of war is already showing signs of irreparable damages between our people who for centuries have lived together with love and respect for each other. All Ethopians, wherever we are, have the moral and national obligation not only to condemn this dangerous adventurism by the regime in power but also need to actively do our utmost to curtail it.

Even if the state of affairs evolving in Somalia now digresses into a precarious one that could imperil our national security and wellbeing, the way to manage it is only when we unite our people, when we follow the collective wish of our people, when we operate in a stable political environment, and when we have a strong and prosperous economy that is capable of supporting a unified, proud, well built and cohesive national army. All these are possible only when we stand united, only when we participate equally for our common welfare and only when the nation attains a political system that steadfastly professes a unified national reconciliation.

When the majority of the nation is dominated by EPRDF’s political machinations, it is possible we may not be able even to muster the collective strength to protect the security of the nation from outside aggressors let alone fighting a war that is here as a result of the EPRDF regime getting us embroiled in the internal affairs of a neighboring country. After all, when countries that are blessed with a prosperous economy and strong national army are seen repeatedly failing their pre-emptive strike against another country, how can we expect for a poverty stricken country like Ethiopia to succeed? When the country is internally suffocating under a dire political misfortune solely created by the regime in power, we need to strongly condemn this same regime that is entangling the country into more adversity by becoming adventurous outside the country. We call upon all Ethiopians, any political or civic organization that has as its priority the wellbeing of Ethiopia, we call upon you all at this time of utmost national emergency to unite and work together towards resolving the political problems that have so far been the hallmark of our common social and national tribulations. We need to pay special attention towards all these so that in unity we become owners of our own destiny.
Based on these understandings:

Kinijit beseeches all Ethiopians to make sure our centuries old religions that served us very well in the past is not used as a tool to separate us and create hatred among us Kinijit’s utmost priority is to work at all times for the wellbeing of the Ethiopian people, for the security of our national boundaries, and for the unity of our national welfare. Time and again we will profess all the above to be on the forefront of our principle for our country and dutifully condemn the use of war, as marginalizing internal political instability and above all interference in the internal affairs of another country.

Kinijit, once again, calls upon you all to resolve our internal tribulations through dialogue, to
settle our problems with neighboring countries through peaceful negotiations, to depart soon from all of our political instabilities, to confront the root causes of our poverty and backwardness towards a fast national recovery and above all to immediately transition ourselves towards a democratic state.

Ethiopia will remain united forever!

Kinijit for Unity and Democracy International Leadership.