African news: BERLIN/ADDIS ABABA (Own report) – The German
Bundeswehr is expanding its support for Ethiopia’s armed
forces, despite persistent accusations that they committed
serious war crimes. As was confirmed by the parliamentary
state secretary in the German Defense Ministry, Thomas
Kossendey, Berlin is offering Addis Ababa a bilateral military
cooperation program for 2011, which includes the training
of army and air force officers. A so-called organization for development aid is
also involved. Berlin has been supporting the Ethiopian regime for years,
because it has made itself useful as the West’s East African proxy. Over the
past few years, Ethiopia, in coordination with Washington and Berlin,
dispatched its troops to Somalia to overthrow forces displeasing to the West
and committed grave war crimes, according to reports from human rights
organizations. These organizations are also accusing the Ethiopian army of
ignoring the rules of warfare in their repression of Ethiopia’s domestic
rebellions. In his talk with german-foreign-policy.com, Dr. Berhanu Nega, who
opposes the regime in his country, raised grave accusations against
Germany’s policy toward Ethiopia. Dr. Berhanu considers the hope that the
West would be helpful in Ethiopia’s democratization process is doomed from
the outset.
Regional Power
German is supporting the Ethiopian military primarily because of the country’s
high geostrategic importance. Ethiopia is not only considered a regional power
at the Horn of Africa, enjoying particular attention from the West because of
its proximity to important maritime trade routes (Gulf of Aden, Red Sea) and
to the Arabic Peninsula. It is also one of those African nations, which are
seeking, with a relatively well equipped army, continental prominence. It is
not by accident that the African Union (AU) has its headquarters in the
Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa, which, not least of all, because of its Christian
tradition, is seen as a point of departure in the midst of a traditionally Islamic
environment. Ethiopia has proven itself to be a reliable proxy for Western
interests. This is why Berlin, over the years, has been supporting the regime
in Addis Ababa with extensive development aid and political cooperation. Also
for years there have been hefty protests against Germany’s Ethiopia policy.
Critics accuse the Ethiopian armed forces of grave war crimes and the
government in Addis Ababa of electoral fraud, brutal repression and
massacres of members of the opposition in the country. (german-foreignpolicy.
com reported.[1])
Support for the Military
Since 2002, Berlin has supplemented its political cooperation with Addis Ababa
with support for its military. Soon after conclusion of the Ethiopian-Eritrean
War (1998 – 2000), the German Bundeswehr initiated training for Ethiopian
troops. In 2002, ten Ethiopian military personnel came to Germany to be
trained by the Bundeswehr. The cooperation in training military personnel has
continued – creating enhanced conditions for Ethiopia’s invasion of Somalia in
late 2006 and the overthrow of the government in Mogadishu disliked by the
West. The war crimes committed in the process by Ethiopia’s military
provoked hefty protests from human rights organizations. (german-foreignpolicy.
com reported.[2]) These protests did not deter Berlin from its continued support of the Ethiopian military. So far the Bundeswehr has trained a total
116 Ethiopian military personnel. In 2008, the German military even included,
for the first time, an Ethiopian officer in the ten-month “General/Admiral Staff
Duty Training Course with International Participation” (LGAI) held at the
Bundeswehr’s Leadership Academy in Hamburg.
150 Civilians Executed
As the Parliamentary State Secretary in the German Defense Ministry, Thomas
Kossendey announced, the Bundeswehr will expand its cooperation with the
Ethiopian armed forces – in spite of the fact that, once again, accusations of
massive human rights violations have been raised, this time during the
repression of domestic rebellions. Already in 2008, the Ethiopian army had
been accused of having committed serious crimes in Eastern Somalia, where a
rebel movement demanding autonomy or secession of that region of Somalia
had been active. Since 2007, Addis Ababa has been cracking down on these
militias with increasing brutality. As reported in 2008, by Human Rights Watch
(HRW), the Ethiopian government not only had imposed an illegal economic
embargo and stopped aid supplies, which also greatly affected the civilian
population, but the Ethiopian military had also engaged in forced recruitment,
imprisoning of civilians in prison camps and torture. According to HRW, in
2007 alone, at least 150 civilians were executed by the Ethiopian military.[3]
New reports of Ethiopian war crimes were recently made public.
Officer Training
Berlin’s reaction to these reports, according to State Secretary Kossendey: For
2011, Ethiopia will, for the first time, be offered a “bilateral cooperation
program” comprised of “nine individual measures” covering several “blocks of
subjects”. These include not only health service, but the training of Ethiopian
military personnel for interventions within UN missions, as well as the
“transformation of the armed forces” and especially the training of Ethiopian
army and air force officers. In addition, according to Kossendey, a
Bundeswehr group of advisors will be sent to Ethiopia. The advisors will, by
the end of 2010, support, “under the direction of the German Ministry of
Foreign Affairs”, the “transformation of the Military Training Center at Holeta
from a civilian-military professional training facility” into a supposedly
“primarily” civilian oriented facility. The military project will be carried out “in
cooperation with the German Association for Technical Cooperation (GTZ), the
largest of the German so-called development aid organizations.[4] All things
considered, with these measures, the German government is enhancing the
capabilities and leeway of the heavily incriminated Ethiopian military for future
wars and projects for combating domestic upheavals.
No Force Fostering Democracy
For years, German support of the Ethiopian regime – also beyond military aid -
has been provoking hefty protests. With extensive “development aid” and
other means, Berlin has been supporting the regime in Addis Ababa, which
has been willing to serve German East African interests. (german-foreignpolicy.
com reported.[5]) Both human rights organizations and members of the
Ethiopian opposition, forced through brutal repression into exile, have been
protesting heavily against this collaboration – to no avail. Dr. Berhanu Nega is
among them. He was elected mayor of the Ethiopian capital with an
overwhelming majority in 2005, but was arrested by the government, along
with numerous other opposition politicians. He lives today in exile – he has
been condemned to death in Addis Ababa for his activities in the opposition.
In his talk with german-foreign-policy.com, he describes, as an example, how
the West has dropped the democratic points of departure in Ethiopia, even
suppressed them, so as not to jeopardize its thriving cooperation with that
dictatorial regime. According to Berhanu, there is no hope “that the West will
be a force fostering democracy in Ethiopia.” This opponent of the regime is
demanding that the West end its support for the dictatorship: “Give us at least
the chance to solve our own problems!”[6]
Please read also our Interview with Dr. Berhanu Nega .
[1] see also Human Rights in Africa (I) and Complicity
[2] see also Stabilizing Factor
[3] Human Rights Watch: Collective Punishment. War Crimes and Crimes against Humanity
in the Ogaden Area of Ethiopia’s Somali Regional State, Juni 2008
[4] Antwort des Parlamentarischen Staatssekretärs beim Bundesminister der Verteidigung,
Thomas Kossendey, vom 22.09.2010 auf die Frage 9/162 des Bundestagsabgeordneten
Christoph Strässer vom 15.09.2010
[5] see also Sonderbericht and Machtpolitisch ohne Alternative
[6] see also Inherent Racist
Source: German-foreign-policy.com
Email: info@german-foreign-policy.com
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