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Ambassador David Shinn’s deceptive rhetoric cannot justify the Ethiopian occupation of Ogaden and Ethiopia has no legal ground at all to occupy Ogaden. The fact remains that the British colonial power transferred Ogaden to Ethiopia without the knowledge and consent of the Ogaden people. On the contrary to the Ambassador David Shinn’s view, Ogaden Somalis have undisputed legitimate right to independence under the universally adopted international law as a factor of lasting peace, security and stability in the Horn of Africa.

To restrain the historical precision Ogaden was not part of Ethiopia and Ethiopia had signed an agreement with British colonial to get hold of Ogaden without consent of Ogaden people, but that does not legitimize the Ethiopian occupation of Ogaden. Since that time the Ogaden Somali people's struggle for self-determination has been a longstanding. So, Ambassador David Shinn to miss this fact is for me either he is twisting this simple truth deliberately or he is biased in favor of Ethiopia at the expense of Ogaden people.

I strongly belief that such inflammatory statements made by Mr. David Shinn, the former US ambassador to Ethiopia regarding the Ogaden independence which he described as not serving the interest of the Horn of Africa is making more difficulty to the solution of the burning issues in the Horn of Africa. His remarks are efforts to mislead public opinion and misinforming the American government as he pose himself as knowledgeable about the reality in the Horn of Africa and related interest of his country in that region.

In the early 1900s the Ogaden Somali people were independent and enjoyed a largely peaceful life. This quagmire has began at the instigation of European colonial powers and it has its roots in European scramble for Africa at the last quarter of 19th century  in which Ethiopia (Abyssinia) was a partner.  In 1897 Great Britain signed an agreement with Abyssinia currently known Ethiopia in which it recognized the Abyssinian claims on Harar, which it had captured a few years earlier using the arms and expertise provided by the colonialists. However, Ethiopia was not in a position to occupy Ogaden militarily without the help from the European colonial powers, except Harar. The Ogaden Somalis vehemently resisted the encroachment of the Abyssinian expansionists and succeeded in halting their advance before the World War II. Later when Great Britain as the winner of the World War II occupied the whole of Horn of Africa transferred Ogaden to Ethiopia , a process that took 7 years (1948-55). Since that time the Ogaden history has been quite turbulent and Ogaden people's struggle for rights of self-determination has never stopped to this day.

A many decades, Ogaden has been a no-man’s land where the successive Ethiopian regimes practice their military power and slaughter innocent civilians to quell the struggle to self-determination for the Somali people in Ogaden. The Ogaden territory has been as well shrouded in secrecy with very little information emerging and its inhabitants have been under severe isolation from the rest of the world. Exactly the way Ethiopia regime wants to prevent public knowledge and open discussion of the Ogaden cause which is profoundly affecting the geopolitical of Horn of Africa.

Instead of taking stock, to look seriously back at history and harm done by the successive Ethiopian regimes, Ambassador David Shinn seem to orchestrate the violence and abuse of human rights to continue which is not good for neither Ogaden people nor Ethiopians. Ogaden people face an unbearable massacre and policy of genocide that made them to resist and took arms while Ethiopian people are suffering from starvation because the country’s resources are used for the suppression of Ogaden Liberation Movements, which Mr. David Shinn does not understand its implications. However, I belief there is a chance of resolving the standing issues permanently and I have an opinion different from that of Ambassador David Shinn, that the Ogaden independence will contribute to the peace and stability of the Horn of Africa.
 
As a matter of fact the responsibility of the US is far greater than ever to play a positive and competent leadership role in the Horn of Africa. The crisis in Ogaden region will not be resolved without sustained efforts from the US leadership to change policy towards Horn of Africa which was one sided in favor of Ethiopian aggression and occupation of Ogaden. State of Terror , like Ethiopia cannot play any positive role in the fight of terror.

I hope the international community will work together with the Ogaden people to find the appropriate format and timing for the dismantling servitude and medieval system of Ethiopian rule to end the Ethiopian colonialism in Ogaden. The Ogaden citizens believe that a peaceful political settlement through negotiations is the most appropriate to resolve the issue and we, Ogaden citizens believe that if the current situation is resolved that it will bring tremendous benefit to both the Ogaden and Ethiopian people.


By Ahmed Ali
The writer, Ahmed Ali can be reached: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it