Conflict and Intervention in the Horn of Africa

228 Pages·1980·1.76 MB·English

by  Bereket H. Selassie

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CL-534
15.00
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Conflict and Intervention
in the Horn of Africa
by Bereket Habte Selassie
The Horn of Africa, a strategically important
area embracing Ethiopia, Eritrea, Somalia,
and Djibouti, has been an arena of uninter­
rupted armed conflict for nearly two decades.
In the first part of this book, Bereket Selassie
shows how this conflict, which has cost thou­
sands of lives and sent tens of thousands of
refugees wandering into the desert, is rooted in
the region's history and geography. Its princi­
pal source lies in the nature of the Ethiopian
empire-state, whose imperialist character did
not change—despite pronouncements to the
contrary—with the overthrow of the semi-
feudal rule of Emperor Haile Selassie in 1974.
The first chapters outline the origins of the
Ethiopian state, the growth of the opposition to
Haile Selassie and to the regime that replaced
him, and show how this in turn led to the ruth­
less suppression of national and democratic
movements and fueled militant liberation
fronts among suppressed nationalities.
Selassie then turns to an analysis of the
history and development of these liberation
movements, including their struggles, pro­
grams, and effectiveness. He places this dis­
cussion within the context of the conflict be­
tween the “territorial integrity” of an inherited
empire and the right to self-determination of a
(continued on back flap)

Conflict
and Intervention
in the Horn of Africa

Conflict
and Intervention
in the Horn of Africa
Bereket Habte Selassie
Monthly Review Press
New York and London
Copyright © 1980 by Bereket Habte Selassie
All rights reserved
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Bereket H. Selassie.
Conflict and intervention in the Horn of Africa.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Vk Africa, Northeast—Politics and government—1974-
2. Africa, Northeast—Strategic aspects.
Ethiopia—Politics and government—1374-...
4. Somalia—Politics and government—196&3'
5. Somali-Ethiopian Conflict, 1977-1979.
6. National liberation movements—Ethiopia—Eritrea.
I. Title.
DT367.8.B47 960'.32 79-3868
ISBN 0-65345-534-1
ISBN 0-85345-539-2 (pbk.)
Monthly Review Press
62 West 14th Street, New York, N.Y. 10011
47 Red Lion Street, London WClR 4PF
Manufactured in the United States of America
10 987654321
Hail the heroes of Sahel
Who feast on song and dance
After a hard day’s fight
Carousing in the wilderness
With Kalashin and Bren
In the Sawra’s solemn celebration.
Hail the Red Flowers and the Vanguards,
Being forged in the Fire of Sahel
To form the chain of the sentinel’s vigil
To guard the front of the people’s struggle
In their hands the Sawra is safe.
Fatuma! Abrehet! You’re vindicated,
With all our submerged womanhood
Rejoice all! And embrace the revolution.
And sing to the glory of the martyrs
Who, in death, show us the way to life.
“And death shall have no dominion.”
For they live in all our memories.

Contents
Preface ix
Introduction: The Forces and the Issues 1
Part I: Empire, Nationalism, and Revolution
1. Ethiopia: Foundations of an Empire-State 11
2. Ethiopia: Empire and Revolution 22
3. Eritrea: A Forgotten Colonial Struggle 48
4. The Oromo and Tigray: National Liberation
and Crisis of Empire 74
5. Somalia and the “Lost Territories.” 97
Part 2: The Politics of Intervention
6. The Big Powers and Their Intermediaries 129
7. Neighbors and Meddlers 151
8. Summary and Conclusion 166
Appendices
1. Speech of the Soviet Delegate to the
United Nations 175
2. Proclamation on the Establishment of the Dergue 179
3. National Democratic Program of the Eritrean
People’s Liberation Front 182
vii