FREE ESSAY ON ETHIOPIA: A COUNTRY STUDY

ETHIOPIA: A COUNTRY STUDY

Ethiopia: A Country Study
Located in northeastern Africa, in an area known as the Horn of Africa, Ethiopia is one
of the largest and most populous countries in Africa. It is bordered by Djibouti and the
former Ethiopian autonomous region of Eritrea on the north, Somalia on the east, Kenya on
the south, and Sudan on the west. While influenced and even occasionally occupied by
other nations, Ethiopia is one of the few countries in Africa or Asia never truly
colonized.
The Ethiopian population is very mixed, with broad differences in cultural backgrounds
and traits, languages, and religions. The greatest numbers of people speak either Semitic
or Cu*censored*ic languages and their dialects. In the west and southwest some people
speak Nilotic languages.
Various religions are represented, with numerous people following Christianity, Islam,
and traditional African religions. Christianity was introduced into Ethiopia in the 4th
century and was the official state religion until 1974. Christians tend to be the most
numerous in the highland areas, Muslims in the lowlands, and Traditional African
religions in the south and west. 
The diversity of people has always played a significant role in Ethiopia. Disagreements
and problems between groups are often tied to differences in language, religion, and
other cultural aspects.
The population of Ethiopia is about 54 million. It is most densely concentrated in the
highland areas. Like in most other African countries, most people live in rural areas.
Only about 10% of Ethiopians live in the cities. The life expectancy is among the world's
lowest at approximately 45 years for males and 49 years for females.
The Ethiopian economy is one of poverty. Average annual incomes are estimated at between
100 and 150 dollars per person in United States dollars. Little is produced that is not
needed within the country. Throughout most of Ethiopia there is the raising of both
plants and animals. In most areas the major crops include grains such as teff, wheat,
barley, sorghum, millet, and corn. Manufacturing forms only a small part of the Ethiopian
economy. Processed foods, textiles, and beverages are the major products, mostly for
local consumption.
Semitic people from Arabia settled in Ethiopia about 3,000 years ago. Their descendants
established an empire at Aksum in northeast Ethiopia before the time of Christ. The
empire grew wealthy as trade with other lands poured through its port of Adulis, near
what is now Mitsiwa. The people were converted to Christianity in the early A.D. 300's.
The Aksumite empire declined around the 900's. A new empire, ruled by the Zagwe dynasty,
began 200 years later about 150 miles south of Aksum. In 1270, Yekuno Amlak, a prince
claiming descent from King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba, overthrew the dynasty. The
empire broke into small kingdoms in the 1600's after a series of wars against invading
Muslims.
During this time, anyone accepted as possessing Solomic descent could claim rights to the
monarchy. This obviously caused frequent internal problems, civil wars, and wars of
succession.
The ruler who laid the foundations of modern-day Ethiopia was Menelik II. Menelik became
emperor in 1889. He began to modernize the country, and regained many lost provinces. In
the late 1800's, the Italians invaded Ethiopia but were defeated by Ethiopian armies in
the battle of Aduwa in 1896. This was the first major victory of an African country over
a European power. This preserved Ethiopia as one of the few noncolonized nations of
Africa.
Menelik died in 1913, and his heir Lij Yasu came to the throne. But the people dethroned
Lij Yasu in 1916, accusing him of becoming a Muslim. Zauditu, Menelik's daughter, then
became empress. She governed the country with her cousin, Ras Tafari, who was regent and
heir to the throne. Ras Tafari assumed the title of Emperor Haile Selassie I in 1930,
after Zauditu's death.
Haile Selassie, planning to modernize Ethiopia, introduced the country's first written
constitution in 1931. But his reforms were halted when Italy invaded Ethiopia again on
October 3, 1935. The Ethiopian army was poorly equipped and not prepared for the
invasion. By 1936, the royal family had been driven into exile and it became clear that
the capital of Ethiopia could not be defended. Emperor Selassie was persuaded to go into
exile.
The Italians occupied Ethiopia until 1941 when Ethiopian and British troops defeated
them. Emperor Selassie returned to Ethiopia and helped build new roads and schools and
started to modernize Ethiopia's agriculture.
In the early 1960's, the Ogaden region of southeastern Ethiopia became a trouble spot.
Large numbers of Somali people live there, and the government of Somalia claims ownership
of the region. Border fighting flared up between Ethiopia and Somalia in the early
1960's. 
In 1974, Emperor Selassie's long reign came to an end when he was dethroned in a Marxist
revolution. After 1974 Ethiopia had a Marxist military government run by the Provisional
Military Administrative Council (PMAC), also called the Derg. The Derg was full of
internal power struggles until Lieutenant Colonel Mengistu Haile Mariam emerged as the
head of state.
Under Mengistu, the Derg enlarged the military tenfold. Beginning in 1975 it also
instituted a program of nationalization of industry, banking, insurance, and large-scale
trade. Many Ethiopians who opposed military rule supported the Ethiopian People's
Revolutionary party, which fought the military regime in the cities until it was
destroyed in 1978.
The problems between Somalia and Ethiopia worsened in 1977 when Somali people in Ogaden
staged a major revolt against Ethiopian rule, and widespread fighting broke out. Ethiopia
shifted its international ties with the United States to an alignment with the Soviet
Union, which became its chief source of weapons. Somalia withdrew its troops from Ogaden
in March 1978 after a major Ethiopian attack. By the early 1980's, most of the fighting
in Ogaden had ended, but some fighting has continued on a small scale. 
In 1987 a new constitution was approved to make the country the People's Democratic
Republic of Ethiopia. This constitution established a civilian Communist government. The
PMAC was dissolved, members of the new assembly, or Shengo, were installed, and Mengistu
became the first president of the republic.
Ethiopia was struck by a major famine in the early 1970's and two more during the 1980's.
More than 200,000 people may have died in the first of these. Because of these famines,
Ethiopia has been heavily dependent upon international donations to overcome starvation
in famine areas.
Conflict between Eritrean rebels and the Ethiopian government, which began in the early
1960's after Eritrea (a former Italian colony) became part of Ethiopia in 1952,
continued. By 1991 rebel forces controlled all or parts of seven provinces. Already
facing a bankrupt economy and famine, the government saw its army fall apart. Mengistu
resigned and fled the country and an unstable transitional government, led by Meles
Zenawi, was appointed in August 1991. The government planned a general election for 1993.
The Eritreans' goal, for which they had been fighting for more than 31 years, was finally
realized. Eritreans voted overwhelmingly for independence in an April 1993 referendum. 
The happier days for Eritrea were limited, though. Today, after over 30 years of fighting
and only 5 years of peace and independence, another war is threatening. Ethiopia and
Eritrea have quibbled peacefully for years over their border, using colonial maps and
more recent surveys to argue their case on who is entitled to a zone named Badme.
However, the dispute turned violent on May 6, 1998 with each accusing the other of
invading. A report into the conflict drawn up by the Organization for African Unity (OAU)
at the start of July stated that Badme was under Ethiopian administration before its
occupation by Eritrean troops on May 12.
In June, Ethiopia's fighter planes bombed an airport in Eritrea which brought Ethiopia
and Eritrea very close to an all-out war. Zenawi tried to avoid a war by producing a
peace plan that would allow a third party to rule the 160-square-mile area of Badme.
The United States, The European Union, Russia and others have strongly urged both sides
to accept the peace plan, which includes the withdrawal of Eritrean forces from the
disputed territory. Eritrean officials have not publicly rejected the proposal, but have
not shown any signs toward acceptance either.
By mid-June however, a step was made in the right direction. It seemed that Eritrea and
Ethiopia had accepted a United States proposal to immediately halt air strikes. The
moratorium against air strikes, as well as threats of air strikes will continue
indefinitely or until either country concludes that any hopes for a peaceful resolution
has come to an end and provides formal advance notice to the U.S. government that it will
no longer respect this moratorium.
If this ending of air raids is a partial form of an ending of hostilities, then there may
be some tranquility, at least for a while. Other diplomatic efforts were also made. Five
leaders appointed by the Organization of African Unity (OAU) began a mission later on
that week. In addition, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak was trying to arrange a
cease-fire. 
The most recent events have not exhibited much change. Although the disputes have been
running since May, there have been no reports of border fighting for several weeks and
the air raids that characterized the conflict's early days have remained ceased. The OAU
has been working towards its main goal of avoiding a full-scale war. They have been able
to make the two parties understand that they must continue to maintain the cease-fire
while African leaders pursue their efforts.
However, talks with the foreign ministers of the two states (who are refusing to meet
face to face) appeared to have made little progress. The Ethiopian Foreign Minister
Seymoun Mestin says he will not meet the Eritrean Foreign Minister Haile Weldensae until
Eritrean troops have left Badme. After three hours of talks with OAU representatives
things were not looking hopeful. Weldensae stated that Eritrea has not occupied any part
of Ethiopian territory and that they are not prepared to withdraw from their own
territory. With the Eritrean withdrawal being a key element in Zenawi's peace plan, the
end of this dispute is not drawing near.
Since May hundreds have died in tank and artillery battles on three fronts. Bombing raids
have killed at least 48 civilians in northern Ethiopia and four people in the attacks on
the airport outside the Eritrean capital, Asmara.
This war is a war between countries that were once friends. The Ethiopians gave Eritrea
their independence peacefully and without any struggle. The Eritrean people have just
gotten over 31 years of fighting and long for stability. They truly want peace and should
be listened to.
I believe that the leaders of these once allied nations should look and listen. They
should look back at all the border disputes that have ensued in so many African nations
and that have ended up killing millions of civilians and have caused the economic
disasters that wars always do. In addition to looking back through history, they should
listen to their people. There are loud protests in the streets and quiet protests, in the
form of prayers, in the churches throughout these two countries. If the leaders of
Ethiopia and Eritrea would just look and listen to the very people that fill their
nation's controversial borders, they would realize that the issue is simply too trivial
to put so many at risk.
I think that the best solution to this problem is the one proposed in the peace plan
presented by Zenawi. The Eritrean government should put their stubbornness aside as the
Ethiopians are willing to do, and should leave the area. A third party should then be
appointed by the OAU to rule over this region. 
With war, whether you win or lose, you lose. The people want peace. War will not solve
their problems. These two nations pray to the same God and speak the same language. They
were once friends and will be again.