23 May 2006: ISS Today: Former Kenyan President Calls for Peace Initiative in Ethiopia Between the Government and Oromo Liberation Front

23 May 2006: Former Kenyan president call for peace initiative in Ethiopia between the government and Oromo Liberation Front
DAILY NATION

 

 

During his tour of the Northern Kenya districts of Marsabit and Moyale from 17-19 May 2006, H.E. Daniel T. Arap Moi, the former president of Kenya, said that he will consult with the Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki on the possibility of initiating the peace process between the Ethiopian government and the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) (1). The former president made the remark while addressing the local residents living along the Kenya-Ethiopia border, who are frequently affected by the spill over of this conflict.

 

Commentary 

 

Moi’s proposal has a major geo-political ramification and could be a key ingredient of peace both in the conflict in Northern Kenya and Ethiopia. The OLF-Ethiopia conflict is ripe for resolution because duration of the conflict clearly indicates that neither party can resolve it by military means. The reality of conflicts of similar duration and objectives in the Horn of Africa generally, and Sudan and Somalia in particular, demonstrate that such conflicts can only be resolved through genuine political negotiations. So far, the IGAD region has failed to produce a peace agenda to resolve the conflict in Ethiopia.

 

The pronouncement by the former president appears to address this glaring gap. Having managed to secure a peace deal in Sudan and Somalia, Kenya is also in a pivotal position to do the same in Ethiopia because of long standing cordial relations between the two countries. A peaceful resolution to the conflict in Ethiopia is in the best national interests of the neighbouring countries, and will contribute tremendously to human security in the Horn of Africa.