It Causes harm

Recently (18/6/07), the New York Times carried an ultra sensational report in relation to the Ogaden National Liberation Front/ONLF/ characterizing the country/Ethiopia/ with a mortal illness, and conversely painting a rosy picture about the group. There are a number of serious aspects of this reporting which require comment and intoregation and I am sure there are several people who are ideally suited to do so.The article makes no effort to provide any understanding of the political situation in the self-administering Somali Regional State of Ethiopia. It fails to comment on the linkages with the broader regional politics. The report shows no interest in dealing with the root causes of the problem. I am sure all these are relevant to the story.

It is not clear why the New York Times/NYT/ crew is attracted to the ONLF as there are several high profile groups in the region, but that is not the main issue here. One would understand that the issue of the ONLF is more relevant in relation to what is happening in Somalia. Surprisingly, the NYT reporters seem to have lost the focus. Still more relevant is the Eritrean factor. You cannot discuss the ONLF without Asmara. The ONLF is older than its close relations with Asmara, but its current survival, actions and positions can not be fully understood without making an investigation in what is happening in Eritrea. Any rational analysis and serious reporting about the group would not have missed these two crucial points. At present, the group could only be understood within the context of Somali irredentism-cum-Islamism and Eritrean intransigence. So the context in which the NYT crew analyzed the situation is at best incomplete, at worst flawed. A newspaper as respected as the NYT should have tried to put the context in its right place and make an objective assessment of the situation. I know any media outlet can have its own editorial policy and cover any topic in a manner that reflects its perception or interest which may not be necessarily the truth. I am just trying to say the context is always important while dealing with such sensitive issues of national and regional security. Then comes the problem of facts. Obviously, without a sound understanding of facts any analysis will reflect something different from what is really going on in the ground.

By any earthly standard the ONLF doesnot represent the whole population in the region, nor does it has following among all Ogaden sub-clans. Here are simple facts. Although the Ogaden clan is clearly the largest single community within the Ethiopian Somali region, it constitutes less than half the total population of the region and cannot claim to solely represent Somali interests. And even within the Ogaden sub-clans I don’t think they have a following among the reer isaq or the Telemghe. The group lacks a total support from the people of the region since they fight to the right and secession of the Ogaden clan only. Infact, the main opposition to the group comes from non-Ogadeni clans and its lack of broad objective to accommodate all the sub-clans.

Besides, the blame for the instability in the region cannot solely go to the ruling regime in Addis Ababa. Most of it is attributed to socio-economic deprivation, while the ONLF as an actor is not helping much in resolving the root causes of the problem. I know a news paper report would not be comprehensive and academically holistic, but one would expect such a major structural issue to be mentioned in the report.Becouse this will have a significant impact in the totality of the report. Besides, interms of atrocities the trackrecord of the ONLF is not to be ignored. Surprisingly, according to the NYT team the group had been found not guilty of committing a crime because the reporters donot want, for unknown reasons, to say it. The media simply picked the group and sensationalized that it has a noble cause to fight for. This has created considerable distress among close observers.
Yes the ONLF operates in the Somali region of Ethiopia and it exists as a group. True, some problems in Ethiopia need to be resolved politically. These are common knowledge. Reporting on these issues is normal. What is abnormal in news coverage is to totally miss the context in which such groups operate. Sensational media reporting on these issues is unhelpful and only reinforces the stigma associated with the anarchic situation in Africa, a gross generalisation which is what keeps the real issues and their exact nature and extent hidden. •

June 22, 2007

Medhane Tadesse of CPRD is a long time specialist on issues of peace and security in the Horn of Africa. He can be reached at mt3002et@yahoo.com