The US is using the war in Ethiopia to pursue its geo-strategic goals in the Horn of Africa
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On 4 November, the de facto prime Minister of Ethiopia, Abiy Ahmed, ordered a military attack on the regional state of Tigray, in what he described as a ‘law and order operation’ to arrest the leadership of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) which was elected to govern Tigray state in September this year. Abiy’s unelected government declared the Tigray elections to be unconstitutional.
The war which is driven by internal contradictions within Ethiopia has already generated foreign involvement from both near and far. The Eritrean army is reported to be fully involved in the military assault on Tigray and there have also been reports that the government of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has become involved in the conflict through the use of drones from its base in Assab, Eritrea. |
USA Assistant Secretary for African Affairs Tibor P. Nagy
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Protesters in South Africa demand an end to the war on Tigray
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However, as the conflict has drawn on, it has become increasingly clear that the US government is also taking an active part in the war and is using it to pursue its own geo-strategic goals in the Horn of Africa. On 19 November, at a US State Department briefing on the Situation in Ethiopia’s Tigray Region, Assistant Secretary for African Affairs Tibor P. Nagy made it clear that the US government strongly backs the war unleashed by Abiy's government. In his comments, he placed all the blame for the conflict on what he described as the "TPLF hardcore leadership", remained silent
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about the extensive and credible reports that the Eritrean army is fighting in Tigray and followed his boss, Mike Pompeo, in criticising the TPLF for firing missiles into Eritrea. He also praised as a "positive force" what he described as the "stoked Ethiopian nationalism" which for many Ethiopians represents a return to the days when many nations and nationalities within that country had their national rights disregarded and were subjected to harsh national oppression.
This position of the US government is not in the least bit surprising. Despite the fact that under the previous EPRDF government, Ethiopia was described as a strategic security partner of the USA, it is clear that the US was dissatisfied both with its close relationship with China and its economic model. The United Nations 2020 Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) Report noted that in 2019, China was Ethiopia’s main source of foreign direct investment (FDI) in 2019, accounting for 60% of all FDI into the country that year. Equally, Ethiopia was among the top 5 recipients of Chinese foreign investment in Africa along with South Africa, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mozambique and Zambia. In addition, the previous EPRDF government followed a development model which was based on state owned enterprises playing a significant role in the country’s economy. This development model led to Ethiopia emerging as one of the fastest growing economies in Africa and it was estimated by the World Bank that the country would reach middle income status by 2025.
Scramble for Africa
In the conditions of the current scramble for Africa, the US has signalled its clear intentions to limit China’s economic and political influence in Africa. This is particularly so in the strategically important Horn of Africa, where all the major powers are vying for control. In the region, the US is already waging war in Somalia and backing the Saudi led aggression against Yemen, across the Red Sea, while Russia and China have established bases in Sudan and Djibouti, respectively. The US aim to limit China’s influence more broadly in Africa is also clearly spelled out in NATO’s forward plan entitled ‘NATO 2030 - United for a New Era’ which unequivocally outlines the organisation’s intention to “prevent China from establishing control over the key commodity sources, including new-generation ones, in the third countries, in Africa in particular”. With regard to Ethiopia’s economic model, the US has also praised Abiy’s government for its intention to transform Ethiopia “from a state-led economy to an open market economy”. It is clear that the US strategic aim for the war in Ethiopia is to bring that country more fully under its control and set it on a neo-liberal path, while ousting China, politically and economically.
The US involvement in the war in Ethiopia is designed to harm the people of that country and must be opposed. The war must be ended and the Ethiopian people must be allowed to determine the fate of their country in the conditions of peace. Foreign intervention in Ethiopia must stop.
This position of the US government is not in the least bit surprising. Despite the fact that under the previous EPRDF government, Ethiopia was described as a strategic security partner of the USA, it is clear that the US was dissatisfied both with its close relationship with China and its economic model. The United Nations 2020 Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) Report noted that in 2019, China was Ethiopia’s main source of foreign direct investment (FDI) in 2019, accounting for 60% of all FDI into the country that year. Equally, Ethiopia was among the top 5 recipients of Chinese foreign investment in Africa along with South Africa, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mozambique and Zambia. In addition, the previous EPRDF government followed a development model which was based on state owned enterprises playing a significant role in the country’s economy. This development model led to Ethiopia emerging as one of the fastest growing economies in Africa and it was estimated by the World Bank that the country would reach middle income status by 2025.
Scramble for Africa
In the conditions of the current scramble for Africa, the US has signalled its clear intentions to limit China’s economic and political influence in Africa. This is particularly so in the strategically important Horn of Africa, where all the major powers are vying for control. In the region, the US is already waging war in Somalia and backing the Saudi led aggression against Yemen, across the Red Sea, while Russia and China have established bases in Sudan and Djibouti, respectively. The US aim to limit China’s influence more broadly in Africa is also clearly spelled out in NATO’s forward plan entitled ‘NATO 2030 - United for a New Era’ which unequivocally outlines the organisation’s intention to “prevent China from establishing control over the key commodity sources, including new-generation ones, in the third countries, in Africa in particular”. With regard to Ethiopia’s economic model, the US has also praised Abiy’s government for its intention to transform Ethiopia “from a state-led economy to an open market economy”. It is clear that the US strategic aim for the war in Ethiopia is to bring that country more fully under its control and set it on a neo-liberal path, while ousting China, politically and economically.
The US involvement in the war in Ethiopia is designed to harm the people of that country and must be opposed. The war must be ended and the Ethiopian people must be allowed to determine the fate of their country in the conditions of peace. Foreign intervention in Ethiopia must stop.
