Sanctions Shatter Social Fabrics and Exacerbate Instability

BY SOLOMON DIBABA

The US has imposed multiple sets of sanctions as a tool to enforce its foreign policy objectives on countries and governments that are either opposed to the fulfillment of its national interests in these countries or countries that chose to follow a different set of domestic and international foreign policy objectives that do not tally with that of the US.

For over the last several decades and more recently, the US has declared various categories of sanctions—i.e partial and total embargo on a number of countries to put political pressure and for enforcing regime changes in some countries.

Most of these sanctions are either economic with specific focus on trade and foreign aid or diplomatic and travel sanctions on the leadership of the countries. Now, the US imposes sanctions and economic embargos under the smokescreen of enforcing democracy, human rights and crimes against humanity and promotion of stability and political order in these countries.

Facts on files indicate that a number of countries have managed to break the circuits of US sanctions by effectively mobilizing their citizens towards building a strong national economy and diplomatic strength by using local resources and socio-economic capabilities they have gained over the last several decades.

However, in many countries like Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Zimbabwe, the US sanctions crippled the entire socio-economic base of these countries and shattered their age old internal social fabric and ignited political instability civil war, total unemployment, destitution and even hunger and health hazards.

To the sanctioned countries mentioned above, the US have failed to ensure the cardinal values of human rights, democracy and good governance in these countries. In fact, in many of the less developed countries, US sanctions worsened poverty, insecurity and gross miscarriage of justice in terms of promoting law and order.

 According to Dr. Aklog Birara, a well-known Ethiopian international consultant, the suspension of Ethiopia from the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) by the US Administration sends the wrong signal to Ethiopian youth, especially unemployed women who support extended families. It forces youth, including girls to migrate out of Ethiopia. 

 In a series of his reactions written on the draft HR 6600 and S.3199 sanction bills, Dr. Aklog writes: ”This is the reason I object to the draft resolution, HR 6600 – Ethiopia Stabilization, Peace, and Democracy Act that is consequential if passed into law, it will make matters worse and not better in Ethiopia. It will destabilize an already fragile country. It will undermine peace for it does not deal with the root causes of Ethiopia’s ethnic-based  and conflict prone system. It will undermine democracy, because it challenges and diminishes the legitimacy of an elected government. The Ethiopian people must be the primary stakeholder with the right to challenge the government they elected.”

 In her recent interview with ENA, Betty Sheba Tekeste, Ethio-America journalist  said  that “The draft bills of HR 6600 and S. 3199 will not create peace and stability, but further exacerbate the problems that exist in the country.”

Both HR 6600 and S. 3199 bills are very similar bills that threaten to impose serious sanctions on Ethiopia in various aspects, she added.

The bills  also promote instability and will further exacerbate issues and the problems that exist in the country, she stressed.

The draft bills tabled by the some Congressmen invite a greater instability and insecurity as well as the resurgence of terrorism in Ethiopia and the Horn of Africa at large. Apart from destroying the age old relations between Ethiopia and the US, the sanctions if approved, will certainly tarnish the relationship between major African countries and the US.

Even without the sanctions, Ethiopia has a number of socio-economic challenges that are already visible. The effects of COVID-19, drought and insecurity in several areas of the country and the skyrocketing of food prices and the possible increase in fuel prices could engage the government to take various austerity measures that need to be put in place.

The draft sanctions are proposed to provide a diplomatic and media tool for terrorist TPLF in its decades old quest to destroy the statehood of Ethiopia. Ethiopia certainly needs the support from the international community to rehabilitate citizens who are seriously affected by the barbaric war the terrorist TPLF has waged on the Amhara and Afar regions. Justice and democracy could be restored in Ethiopia only when the butchers of terrorist TPLF are made to appear before the courts of law for the violations of human rights and crimes it committed on civilians.

As a matter of fact, the proposed bills of sanctions on Ethiopia will only help to cover up the crimes committed by the terrorist by shifting the blame on the people and government of Ethiopia.

The main point now is: what can the people and government of Ethiopia does to avert the possible consequences of the twin draft sanctions if approved? It is important that the people and government of Ethiopia turns the sanctions into an opportunity to further strengthen their unity in all aspects of public life instead of confining themselves to an artificial ethnic divide that would pose a threat to the unity and territorial integrity of the country.

Ethiopia needs to aggressively engage in the area of import substitution programs in the areas of food items and basic products in the manufacturing sector. Efforts being underway to enhance wheat production in dry land areas needs to be scaled up in all regions of the country while the process of diversification of export products should be accelerated in a faster pace.

It is also necessary to set up a strict strategy that would enable the country to take steps in promoting foreign exchange earnings as a tool for controlling the galloping inflation that is threatening the economic development of the country. Pertinent fiscal and monetary policy should be in place for optimal use of  foreign currencies to import the most critical commodities.  

Moreover, the entire people of Ethiopia should stand guard in averting any level of internal and external conspiracies that are directed against the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country.

The current situation demands full unity among the people of Ethiopia particularly among the youth which almost constitute 70% of the entire population. The people and government of Ethiopia need to work together to overcome the impending catastrophes.