/by Muluken Gebeyew/
Ethiopia and Eritrea are two separate countries since 1991 (officially 1993 after the referendum) due to outsiders influence President Isaias Afeworki: Here is an opportunity to Correct Several Generations Mistakes several generations mistakes which resulted in separation of an eldest daughter (Eritrea) from her mother (Ethiopia).
Since the 15th century, with expansion of Ottoman Empire and later Ahmed Geragne‘s war (Ahmad ibn Ibrahim al-Ghazi “the Conqueror” ) on 16th Century weaken the central Ethiopian government and led to Ethiopia to lose its Massawa port and parts of the north east coastlands; Gradually these foreign forces hand over the ports to another foreign country Egypt and later to colonialist Italy ( under British conspiracy in Hewitt treaty). The colonialist Italy 19thCentury invasion of main land of northern Ethiopia (Bahere Negash) created the significant separation of the daughter from mother. The eldest daughter suffered a lot from these foreign invasion and separation form motherland. Although Emperor Yohannes IV and his top General Ras Alula Aba Nega tried their best to stop this invasion, due to internal power conflict among Ethiopian princes and kings on top of Mahdist invasion from Sudan led to official loss of eldest daughter to cruel foster parent (Italy)in 1890.
The 1896 victory The Emperor Menelik II against colonialist Italy though secured the motherland not to be subjected to Italy; it didn’t bring back the eldest daughter (Eritrea) back to her natural mother.
The eldest daughter was subjected to cruel treatment from Italian colonialist invaders for more than six decades until the second world war when British with Ethiopians defeated Fascists Italy. Under British ten years (1942-1952) administration, Eritreans started to identify themselves either Ethiopian (the unionist movement), Eritreans (separate independent nation) or others preferring merging with Sudan(border region).
Emperor Haile Selassie and his notably the then foreign minister Akiliu Habatewold diplomatic struggle at United Nation along with unionist Eritreans resulted in referendum and on 15th September 1952 the historical Federal union of Eritrea to its motherland Ethiopia become real. The grave mistake that followed was abolishing the federation within 10 years which gave birth to the trouble, conflict, animosity and later to war.
The war lasted 30 years that devastated both the daughter (Eritrea) and motherland (Ethiopia). Leaders who preferred the power of gun instead of power of love continued the misery and suffering of the two people who are of same blood. The outcome of fire which brought hate, division, death, and displacement of the two people resulted in the consciousness of the daughter’s children the rise of Eritrean identity to the extent of denial of motherhood or avoidance of the mother. Understandable, the lack of smart skilful and love guided policy of the military regime made this pseudo identity to metamorphosis to “real identity“.
The end of the bloody 30 years war in 1991 resulted for the first time the children of the eldest daughter preferring to be a new country and to be neighbour instead of daughter. Unfortunately the TPLF led regime instead of helping the daughter to come back to motherland, it created unheard of policy as if Eritrea was colonised by Ethiopia. TPLF pushed for control of Ethiopia (motherland) without involvement or sharing of power to the eldest daughter.
During the Addis Ababa Transition conference in July 1991, the late surgeon Professor Asrat Woldyes (representative of Addis Ababa University) was the lone voice in the African hall calling for Eritrea (elder daughter)’s son Isaias Afeworki and Meles Zenawi(TPLF leader) jointly to lead the country as united country of the daughter and motherland. Unfortunately that advise fall on deaf ears. The best opportunity to unite the daughter from mother on equal love was lost.
The Bademe war from 1998-2000 which was given a pretext of border war (the reason is rather power and economic conflict among TPLF and EPLF) resulted in the loss of hundred thousands of poor souls from both side, loss of properties, billion worth of economic wastage and Eritrea’s isolation and suffering for nearly 20 years.
In April 2018 a new leader with big vision and real believer of the power of love is born in Ethiopia. This leader calls for genuine peace, love, brotherhood, sisterhood and beyond (i.e for the daughter to be real daughter of its real mother and the mother to be real mother for the daughter which was dream for generations.)
The love and happiness seen recently during Prime minster Dr. Abiye Ahmed‘s visit in Eritrea and the Eritrean delegation visit in Ethiopia is the sign of that.
President Isaias Afeworki, as the current president of Eritrea, and you are at the epoch with opportunity to correct the mistakes of so many generations from both sides. This is the time to make the decision for the two families to unite and never ever allow themselves to be subjected to outsiders and another wrong generation. Let the two countries be one family and prosper with love and peace!
