Ethiopia’s Meles Zenawi’s legacy in the Ogaden/Somali region
The death of Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Meles Zenawi was officially announced by the EPRDF-controled National Television, Ethiopian TV.
This announcement came after Zenawi disappeared more than two months ago from the public eye. Although millions inside and outside Ethiopia waited for an official and reliable explanation of Meles’s fate, the announcement yesterday was not a surprise to many as anonymous diplomats have for more than a month, confirmed his death.
Now that he is gone, I would like to share my observations on the legacy Meles has left behind, particularly in the Ogaden.
Meles came to power after the downfall of Mengistu Haile Mariam in 1991. Mengistu and his Derg regime were responsible for numerous atrocities in not only the Ogaden but also in Tigray regions, to mention a few.
After 1991, many Somalis in the Ogaden believed that Meles and his TPLF who fought against the Derg would stabilize relations between the peoples in the Horn of Africa, particularly those who suffered under the Derg.
Instead, he utilized his deep knowledge about Somali culture and started to divide the Somali people both inside Ogaden and in neighboring areas. He waged a direct and indirect war on all Somalis in the Ogaden. This was indeed a grave mistake by him (although I am aware the graveness of this mistake is due to some of his advisers in Harar).
By committing this mistake Meles lost a golden opportunity, namely, the shift in the balance of power in the Ogaden – this was a time when, like its Derg counterpart, the powerful Somalia central government collapsed and Mohamed Siyad Barre fled the country. It was a time when Meles had like-minded allies in the Ogaden, particularly the Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF). As a result Meles could have used this opportunity to establish positive cooperation with the Somalis, and particularly, the ONLF. Instead he chose to follow the footsteps of his predecessor Mengistu and implement the same projects in the Ogaden.
He sidelined the ONLF and persecuted arbitrarily anyone thought to sympathize with their ideas.
As a result, what could have been a new era of Renaissance in the Ogaden and Horn of Africa turned into a nightmare. Thousands and thousands of native Ogadenis have been slaughtered by brutal troops loyal to TPLF/EPRDF. Far more have been physically and mentally injured. The bulk of youth in the region have run out of the country for their lives and exiled as refugees all over the world.
Moreover, when Meles took control of Ethiopia, the Ogaden was comparable to Tigray, the birthplace of Meles. Both of these regions suffered heavy casualties under previous regimes; they were very underdeveloped; there were internally displaced people everywhere and citizens in these areas were highly vulnerable to both natural as well as man-made disasters.
But after 21 years, Ogaden remains almost the same (except for few projects intended to serve as propaganda tools) while Tigray is hugely transformed. This disparity sums up the legacy of Meles in the Ogaden and how unjust his rule was.
Finally, it took Meles more than 20 years to come to his senses and acknowledge the importance of the Somali people in the Ogaden and their vital role in peace, stability and development of entire Horn of Africa region.
Shortly before his death Meles officially asked Kenya to mediate talks between his regime and the ONLF. Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately), we know today that he is insignificant to exert his influence on the on-going talks. We, the Somali people, hope to see an end to the senseless persecution of our people in the Ogaden (Somali region) and look forward to a peaceful co-existence based on mutual respect with our neighbors.