Western Attempt to Pressurize Ethiopia by Interfering in Domestic Affairs Breaches Int’l Laws: Scholar

Addis Ababa, August 31/2021(ENA) The attempts of some Western countries to interfere in the internal affairs of Ethiopia is an act of breaching international laws and norms, a scholar told ENA.

The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) discussed last week the current situation in  Ethiopia.

During the meeting most of the member countries vowed to support Ethiopia in its efforts to address its internal challenges, expressing their confidence that the country is capable of tackling the current challenges the nation is facing.

They have also called on others to respect this and avoid pressures, including unilateral sanction, as this won’t help to improve the situation.  

However, some members of the Western nations have demanded that the Government of Ethiopia do things that are entirely against its sovereignty and national integrity.

Speaking to ENA, Mizan Tepi University History and Political Science lecturer, Negusu Belay said the demands by some members of the UNSC breaches international laws that stipulate the non-interference of nations in the internal affairs of other nations.

No international law and norm allows countries to interfere in the domestic affairs of other countries without the invitation by the victim country; and there is no prohibition of military cooperation to jointly fight against common enemies like act of terrorism and other security problems, he added.  

Interfering in the domestic affairs of a sovereign state is strictly prohibited by international laws and norms, the scholar noted, adding that some nations in the West, however, repeatedly try to tell Ethiopia how to act in its domestic affairs.

On the other hand, Western nations have been turning deaf ears to the people and the Government of Ethiopia in their claim that Sudanese soldiers have invaded and occupied  Ethiopian territory.

The repeated false allegations of the West in the internal affairs of Ethiopia do not emanate from sympathy to the Ethiopian people, Negusu elaborated. It is rather an agenda to  destabilize the Horn of Africa and make the countries in the region remain unstable and create weak and puppet governments.

According to him, the Western powers do not want to lose control over the region as the Horn of Africa is one of the most strategic regions in the world.

The Western powers fear that strong regional integration and cooperation in the region would make them lose their control over the region, the scholar noted, adding that they want to create animosity between countries of the region by creating false agenda to disrupt the ongoing move towards regional integration, cooperation, and prosperity in the region.

Leaving aside their animosity, Negusu pointed out, the move to regional integration between Ethiopia, Eritrea and Somalia is creating shock to the US and Western powers.