Why Meles was offended when Kenya invaded Somalia

 | November 24, 2011

Editor’s note – We received Tadele Girmachew’s article before anyone began to question the motive of Meles Zenawi’s re-invasion of Somalia. Kenya invaded Somalia, and it was an act that offended Meles Zenawi. Did Kenya take his job? Details from Tadele’s article (We apologize for the late posting).

Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Meles Zenawi arrives at the 16th Extra Ordinary Summit of IGAD Heads of state meeting on Somalia, in Addis Ababa November 25, 2011. Ethiopia will deploy troops inside Somalia for a “brief period” to help Somali and Kenyan forces battling Islamist militants expand their control in southern Somalia, Ethiopian officials said on Friday. (REUTERS/Kumerra Gemechu)

I read an article on Ethiopian Reporter by a certain Meles Alem entitled: “Kenya: no longer impervious”. Some core points in this piece include that:
Hotels in Kenya are deserted because of the ongoing Kenyan military operation in Somalia.
The “Kenyan economy already battered by the depreciating shilling and rising inflation.
That Kenya invoked section 51 of the United Nations Convention and entered Somalia.
That “With the Kenyan army pushing deep into Somalia many are questioning the motive”.
There are many questions before answers about the operation, operation capability of the army and its final exit strategy.
Notwithstanding the Kenyan government’s statements about its offensive capability in Somalia, there are some regional security analysts who dare say that Kenya is unprepared and its military action is instinctual. Kenya does not have an Exit strategy.

I found these points not decent to write about a neighboring country under a major military confrontation with a common enemy for peoples of both countries.

While at the same time the “writer” tries to tell the truth that the Kenyan army’s move was swift in overtaking a number of towns that were controlled by Al-Shabaab without much resistance, the article also invites any reader to ask: “What’s the motive?”

Is it to support the Kenyan effort to fight “Al-shabab ” which is a well-defined terrorist group. Or is it to ridicule the effort of the Kenya Army and the situation of the Kenyan economy? Or is it to compare the Kenyan one with the 2006 Zenawi-led invasion of Somalia ?

I hope the “writer” will have the courage to explain to the public. This is not the only reason why I discussed the article with friends but also simply because we found the analysis absolutely shallow and opposite to what we all observe. It is true that Kenya has been the only peaceful country in the region continuously for decades, hence the relative growth of its economy in the rest of the region. The writer comments how the Kenyan economy is struggling because of inflation. What about the inflation in Ethiopia?

From the analysis of many observers in the international media, the Kenyan army operation has been superb because it has progressed with minimum causalities, far beyond the expectation of its neighbors.

If the Meles side were to be considered credible, they should have commented about their own experience in Somalia, before meddling Kenyan Affairs.

When Ethiopia (which means under the total command of Meles Zenawi) invaded Somalia, it rather gave rise to the birth of the Al-Shabab terrorist group. An undisclosed number of Ethiopians were killed in the war, and the army had to withdraw after making Somalia a more violent and a breeding ground for terrorists.

On the other hand, it is reported on TV how the Kenya Navy is playing a crucial role in attacking the enemy while monitoring Indian ocean for pirates.

By the way, once upon a time Ethiopia had her own navy. When Mr. Meles came to power, the country was made landlocked, and her navy ships were sold as a scrap metal to “businessmen” in Djibouti in the presence of Legese Zenawi himself.

Back to Kenya. What Kenya has enjoyed is that no single media has accused Nairobi of human rights violations by the invading Kenyan army. With Ethiopia, it is quite different. Mr Meles Zenawi at least faces war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Ethiopia and Kenya have a common interest and that is the terrorist group should be eliminated if the two countries are to live in peace. But the problem is Meles is not interested in ending the vicious cycle of violence in the region. He created the Al-Shabab but withdrew the midway so that he would be “begged” by Western powers when Al-Shabab wrecks havoc on the entire region, and Mr. Meles would be invited to London or Washington if he could re-send the army and silence the terrorist group.

What has shocked Mr. Meles is while he was expecting an invitation for re-invasion, he was totally ignored, and when he invaded, the West rebuked his actions as reckless and irresponsible. Hence the desperate move of blackmailing Kenya.