EXCLUSIVE: Ethiopia’s National Dialogue Commission Wasn’t Created Due To Foreign Pressure

Prime Minister Abiy’s government has always stood for peace and reconciliation as evidenced by one of the central tenets of his Medemer philosophy. This isn’t anything new, and it precedes the ongoing war by two and a half years.

By Andrew Korybko

—  American political analyst

The Western Mainstream Media is spinning another fake news narrative by implying that Ethiopia’s National Dialogue Commission (NDC) was created due to their pressure. NBC News, for instance, headlined a story about this titled “Ethiopia passes law to start national dialogue commission amid pressure to end Tigray conflict”. This is a false assessment of the situation that deliberately misportrays the government’s motivations.

Prime Minister Abiy’s government has always stood for peace and reconciliation as evidenced by one of the central tenets of his Medemer philosophy. This isn’t anything new, and it precedes the ongoing war by two and a half years. The NDC is a practical application of that philosophy in the context of the country’s current conflict. It will not, however, incorporate groups like the TPLF or the OLA that have been designated as terrorists.

The reason for this is that only peaceful and responsible stakeholders are invited to participate in this process. The TPLF and OLA have proven themselves to be the exact opposite of that and therefore don’t deserve a seat at the table. The government doesn’t want to imply the bestowment of any political legitimacy upon them despite considerable US-led Western pressure to do so. The kinetic phase of those countries’ Hybrid War on Ethiopia is ending, hence their plans’ transition to the political phase.

The US-led West wants to legitimize their proxies in order to advance their divide-and-rule scheme for Ethiopia. The government is acutely aware of this plot and has resolutely opposed it, which incenses its opponents. That’s one of the reasons why they’re spewing fake news about the NDC in order to make it seem like they gained at least a little something from their failed Hybrid War even though it’s on the brink of being completely defeated.

The reality is that the US-led West’s Hybrid War on Ethiopia only resulted in them further discrediting their own foreign policies and collectively punishing the Ethiopian people who struggled to survive the TPLF’s genocidal occupation of their regions. Instead of “Balkanizing” Ethiopia like the former Yugoslavia, this conflict actually served to unite it and consequently cement the country’s social cohesion. In other words, this Hybrid War dramatically backfired on its masterminds.

The NDC is the latest evidence that Ethiopian society remains united. Peaceful and responsible stakeholders all across the country will participate in making their homeland stronger. The NDC wasn’t created due to foreign pressure, but as the embodiment of PM Abiy’s Medemer vision in the context of the country’s current conflict. The US-led West, however, is desperately trying to claim credit for this and can also be expected to discredit it out of spite after losing their proxy war.