Being a veteran and someone with experience conducting peacekeeping missions, I have seen the aftermath of war and the hardships it brings to a region and its people. This conflict will bring death, famine, and regional instability. The U.S. must take the lead in shaping a stable and safe environment in the region, or the Horn of Africa will see regional instability, war, and famine that the world has not seen in decades.
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed launched military operations in the Tigray Region (one of the ten regions in Ethiopia), accusing the leaders in this region of attacking a government defense post and stealing military equipment. Also, days after launching military operations in the Tigray Region, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed imposed a state of emergency while also cutting the Tigray Region's internet and telephone networks.
Scores of casualties are reported. More than 11,000 refugees are crossing the border into Ethiopia's neighboring country Sudan. An unstable Ethiopia does not mean the conflict will be contained only within the Ethiopian borders. It almost certainly will affect surrounding countries like Sudan, South Sudan, Eritrea, Kenya, Somalia, and Djibouti, destabilizing the region.
The U.S. must first condone the military operation in the Tigray Region, promote a peaceful resolution, and provide a combination of security and an aid package to nurture stability in this nation.
I believe the U.S. should consider increasing aid and funding to Ethiopia and not withholding it. In August 2020, the U.S. State Department approved a freeze on foreign aid that could affect up to $130 million in assistance to the country. This tarnished relations with Ethiopia in recent months.
Currently, the U.S. requested $226.8 million in total aid in fiscal year 2020, most of which is going to “health” ($169 million), according to ForeignAssistance.gov. The U.S. should appropriate less to “health” and more to “peace and security” (where $770,000 is currently budgeted) and to “democracy, human rights, and governance” (where $600,000 is budgeted).
What the incoming administration of President-elect Joe Biden does in the next few months will determine Ethiopia’s and the region’s stability, as well as Africa's future. Ethiopia is a regional power in the Horn of Africa. The U.S. must take the lead in making sure Ethiopia does not become a failed state.
I believe the goal of the U.S. should be promoting peace and stability in Ethiopia. If the U.S. looks the other way, this nation and region will become a haven for violence and extremism. An assistance and aid package should be on the U.S. foreign-policy agenda in assisting the Ethiopian government through its conflict and its rebuilding of hope in the country.
Darryl Scarborough of Chaska, Minn., is a veteran of the armed services with overseas experience in humanitarian aid and assistance missions. He wrote this for the News Tribune.
Newer articles:
- Sudan Considers Total Lockdown With More COVID Cases - 20/11/2020 21:33
- UNHCR Ethiopia Refugee Response Plan: Quarterly Monitoring Report, PoCs from South Sudan, January 2020 - June 2020 - 20/11/2020 17:03
- Sagar II: INS Airavat reaches Kenya with food aid for South Sudan - 20/11/2020 10:15
- Four Things to Know About How Fragile States Like South Sudan Are Coping With COVID-19 - 20/11/2020 07:13
- South Sudan, Chad ranked the worst nations to be a girl in Africa - 20/11/2020 05:13
Older news items
- South Sudan Red Cross hands over water facility in Nimule - 19/11/2020 20:39
- Lamwo residents flee homes in fear of armed South Sudan bandits - 19/11/2020 07:24
- UNHCR hails South Sudan for adopting inclusive policies on displaced persons - 19/11/2020 06:41
- UN Warns of 'Famines of Biblical Proportions' - 19/11/2020 06:00
- In UN of Corrupt Guterres Staff Say He Spies On Them While 2bl Standard for His Cronies - 19/11/2020 03:22
Latest news items (all categories):
- South Sudan needs ‘civic education’ before elections, says bishop - 16/01/2025 16:42
- South Sudan parties set to resume peace talks in Kenya - 16/01/2025 16:39
- Abandoned but not forgotten – the invisible crisis in South Sudan - 16/01/2025 16:35
- The SAF has committed barbaric atrocities against South Sudanese refugees in Wad Medani - 16/01/2025 16:27
- Syria 2025: The historical Syrian project: From revolution to a modern inclusive civil state - 16/01/2025 16:10
Random articles (all categories):
- South Sudan oil flow to continue through Sudan - 04/09/2013 07:12
- The Wife-Stealing Ceremony In South Sudan’s Latuka Tribe - 29/04/2018 03:07
- Omar al-Bashir took millions from Saudi Arabia as Sudan president: court hearings - 19/08/2019 09:13
- Clashes near South Sudan rebel stronghold, aid workers evacuated - 07/07/2017 14:18
- Amnesty International calls for immediate release of 6 SSBC staff - 13/01/2023 06:37
Popular articles:
- Who is the darkest person in the world, according to Guinness World Record? - 25/10/2022 02:34 - Read 61671 times
- No oil in troubled waters - 25/03/2014 15:02 - Read 22306 times
- School exam results in South Sudan show decline - 01/04/2012 17:58 - Read 21492 times
- NDSU student from South Sudan receives scholarship - In-Forum - 29/09/2012 01:44 - Read 19060 times
- Top 10 weakest currency exchange rates in Africa in 2023 - 19/07/2023 00:24 - Read 18794 times