By: Staff Editor
It is worth noting that the 46th Ordinary Session of the African Union Executive Council was held just before the 38th African Leaders’ Summit. At the same Executive Council meeting, Ethiopia was elected as a member of the Peace and Security Council of the African Union. It is a fact that many agree that Ethiopia’s election in this sector is a recognition of its contribution to peace, security and development in Africa.
Ethiopia’s peacekeeping mission began in Korea in 1953. Since Ethiopia accepted and successfully completed the peacekeeping mission in an effort to defuse the conflict between the two Koreas, its name has been rising in the spotlight. Ethiopia won the Korean War as part of the United Nations peacekeeping force.
Ethiopia’s bravery in this war amazed the world. It completed its entire mission without losing a single soldier. This war not only made the world know that Ethiopians are a nation of heroes, but also played an unparalleled role in helping South Korea, which was in danger of disintegration, to continue as a country and reach the level of development it has reached today.
Subsequently, Ethiopia returned to the Congo peacekeeping operation by deploying five of its helicopters and its air force, effectively maintaining peace. The Congo peacekeeping mission, which took place from 1960-64, saved the country from civil war and laid the foundation for the continuation of Congo as a country. In this peacekeeping process, the Ethiopian army unit, which was named the Grand Brigade, wrote history and returned. This role is one that the world will always remember.
In 1993, a conflict broke out between the Rwandan government and its opposition forces. Innocents were killed; the survivors fled.
The United Nations deployed a peacekeeping force in Rwanda to defuse the situation. However, the peacekeeping force deployed was not properly trained and could not stop the conflict between the two powers. It could not stop the genocide; it could not even save its own army from being massacred.
Therefore, the Security Council, realizing the seriousness of the situation, decided to deploy the Ethiopian army, which has always been known for its bravery and peacekeeping operations, as a peacekeeper. The Ethiopian defense force fulfilled its mission and deployed in the dangerous rural areas and villages of Rwanda. In the process, it saved many lives; it saved women and children from the massacre that was happening. It also became a hope for many. Rwanda, which is today the star of Africa, has gone through many dark years. Ethiopia has done a great job in helping Rwanda, the country that suffered the most horrific genocide in the world, recover from its pain and become a stable country in the process.
Ethiopia’s peacekeeping mission has extended beyond East Africa to the western regions of the continent. One of the countries that the mission has rescued is Liberia, which, following the resignation of then-President Charles Taylor, was plunged into a civil war from 1999 to 2003. In this civil war, many lives were lost; women were raped; and many were forced to flee their homes. In general, Liberia became a hell on earth. At this time, the Security Council decided to deploy an Ethiopian peacekeeping force in Liberia. The Ethiopian defense force, which is friendly to its African brothers, was deployed in the country’s territory without fear of death, even in areas considered dangerous. Historians say that he managed to save Liberia from a massacre, even though he faced death.
After the deployment of the Ethiopian peacekeeping force, relative peace descended on Liberia. More than a million refugees returned to their villages. Liberia gradually became a stable country. In the past 15 years, three peaceful elections were held and the country was able to make a democratic transition. Today, Liberia has become a country where no one feels shame.
In addition to these countries, Ethiopia has also deployed peacekeeping forces in Sudan, Somalia, Rwanda and Burundi, as well as South Sudan. Since the establishment of the United Nations, about 46 peacekeeping missions have been conducted around the world. Of these, Ethiopia has participated in 12, ranking second in the world and first in Africa.
The former Director of the Institute of Peace and Security at Addis Ababa University, the current Commissioner of the National Consultative Commission, Yonas Adaye (PhD), in his 2018 research paper titled “Africa in the Global Security Governance: A Critical Analysis of Ethiopia’s Role in the UN Peacekeeping Operations”; “…noting that the United Nations conducted 67 peacekeeping operations around the world from 1948 to 2013; our country Ethiopia participated in 12 peacekeeping missions from the 1950s to 2017 and that in total, 90,000 Ethiopian soldiers participated in UN and African Union peacekeeping operations and fought bravely until 2017.
As historical records indicate; Ethiopia has made a bright mark as the sole representative of African and black peoples from the establishment of the League of Nations to the establishment of the United Nations. It is a country with a great history that played a leading and major role in establishing the Organization of African Unity, the current African Union, to promote peace, unity and brotherhood among African peoples.
Our country, Ethiopia, is a great credit to Africa and all the countries of the world by sending its heroic sons and daughters as peacekeepers to ensure peace and stability in Africa, from North America to the Caribbean and Jamaica, from the Korean Peninsula to the Middle East, in Congo, Liberia, Sudan, South Sudan, Côte d'Ivoire, Burundi, Rwanda and Somalia.
In line with this historical fact, the United Nations According to the 2020 report, Ethiopia, the capital of Africa, the seat of various international institutions and many diplomats, has been ranked ‘first’ in Africa and ‘second’ globally due to its significant participation in ‘peacekeeping’ in Africa and around the world.
As can be seen on the official website of the United Nations, Ethiopia has been recognized for its peacekeeping mission in various countries since ancient times. With the recognition given by the United Nations, Ethiopia has been engaged in effective peacekeeping missions in various countries, including sacrificing its life, and has achieved results. It has played a major role in helping to create a peaceful world, he said.
East Africa is one of the most unstable regions in the world and is known to be a breeding ground for terrorists. Despite the environmental and political situation in Ethiopia that makes it vulnerable to terrorism, the Ethiopian people and government have been able to repel the terrorists. This brave act has earned them respect from the international community.
Ethiopia has a long history of fighting terrorism alongside peacekeeping. Ethiopia was the first country to deploy its military to eliminate the Al-Shabaab force operating in Somalia. Since the army entered the country, Al-Shabaab has been weakened, which has led to relative peace for the people and the region.