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Nujoma calls for peace in Ethiopia 

2021-11-23  Staff Reporter

Nujoma calls for peace in Ethiopia 

Founding President Sam Nujoma has called on all Ethiopians to come together and cease all hostilities and find amicable solutions to sustainable peace in the East African country.

More than 12 months of fighting between federal troops and Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) enters its second year.

It costs thousands of lives and displaced more than two million people, with hundreds of thousands facing famine-like conditions.

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, the 2019 Nobel Peace laureate, sent troops into Tigray in response to what he called “rebel attacks on army camps” last November.

Nujoma made the call in a statement released by his foundation recently. 

“It is in that spirit, mindful of the provision of Security Council resolution 2457 (2019), that I call on all belligerents in Ethiopia to immediately cease hostilities, ensure humanitarian access and create the conditions for the start of an Ethiopian-led political dialogue as the only pathway to a just and comprehensive peace,” said the 92-year-old former president.

He said the lack of meaningful dialogue between the protagonists is particularly disturbing to him and therefore call on all Ethiopians to come together and cease hostilities.

Nujoma said the dialogue remains the only reliable and sustainable avenue to peace. 

“There is no military solution to the conflict and battlefield victory cannot guarantee political stability in Ethiopia. I, therefore, appeal to the leadership of all sides to halt their military offensives in order to allow an opportunity for dialogue,” Nujoma said.

He also called on the Panel of the Wise, the Forum For Former African Heads of State and Government (the African Forum) to support the mediation effort by the High Representative of the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Olusegun Obasanjo.

Furthermore, Nujoma called on the Peace and Security Council (PSC) for their urgent intervention to resolve and manage the prevailing conflict in Ethiopia.  

“I appeal to you to facilitate timely and efficient responses to resolve the crisis situations in Ethiopia. Africa cannot afford a nation at war with itself. History has proven that civil wars have large and significant aggregate impacts on macroeconomic indicators such as GDP and trade,” said the Founding Father.  

In addition, Nujoma said to affecting trade, violence can drive large scale human displacement, which in turn can have destabilising regional and global impacts.  

In fact, he said the number of people running away from civil war violence is far larger than the number of fatalities globally.

He further called on all people of goodwill and leaders in Africa and the international community to continue to support the mediation efforts by Obasanjo.

He said the conflict is likely to be a protracted and destructive war with significant ramifications for Ethiopia.

“The only solution to the continuing conflict and the broader un-ending political upheaval in Ethiopia is a genuine commitment to an all-inclusive national dialogue that would chart an agreed pathway to a just and comprehensive peace,” he said.

The United Nations last week released emergency funds to help provide life-saving humanitarian assistance and protection to civilians caught up in the conflict. 

Abiy was certain of a swift victory but by late June the TPLF had retaken most of Tigray before expanding into the Amhara and Afar regions.

The government declared a nationwide state of emergency earlier this month and ordered Addis Ababa residents to prepare to defend their neighbourhoods amid fears that the TPLF were heading for the capital.


2021-11-23  Staff Reporter

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