US makes errors, enemies in Africa
First, I must commend you for the precise and timely assessment on your article about the disregard or lack of willingness by the Bush administration to solve the sociopolitical problems sweeping across the Eastern African nations. Undersecretary of State Jendaye Frazer lacks the leadership it takes to solve the Darfur crisis, Somalia civil war and that of Uganda, Eritrea-Ethiopia conflict, which I was surprised that it was not even mentioned on your article.
With regard to Somalia conflict, while it's to everyone's best interest that terrorism is defeated wherever it may be originated, there is very little evidence that the Somali Islamists were in any way linked to ALQuida, a claim repeatedly made by the State department. Many political analysts believe that USA might have received such intelligence from sources who would like to see Somalia destroyed. One party which has a great interest in the destruction of Somali as a nation and was feeding the State Department a wrong information through Dr. Frazer is Ethiopa, a country with historical hostility towards Somalia. The Ethiopian regime took advantage of the situation we are in and screamed "Alquida" to advance its political and military ambition in the region. And, unfortunately, the Bush administration, determined to hunt Alquida wherever they may be, fell for such claim and hailed Ethiopia as a true friend in the fight for terror and provided it with financial and military support. Another unsubstantiated report Dr. Frazer continues to spread around has to do with Eritrea's link to terrorism. Through her sources likely from Ethiopia, she alleges that Eritrea supports the Islamists. At the height of the Ethiopian invasion of Somalia last December, the State Department falsely claimed that Eritrea had some 5000 troops defending the Islamists, an allegation which could not be confirmed to this date. Astonishingly, Dr. Frazer even threatened to place Eritrea as a state that harbors terrorists, a move many consider foolish if carried out.
Another major issue which the Bush administration failed to tackle has to do with Eritrea-Ethiopia conflict. The USA, as one of the peace guarantors in the Algiers Agreement, has the moral, legal and political obligation to resolve the crisis. The border war between the two countries ended in 2000 when they agreed to cease the hostilities and sign what is known as Algiers's Agreement. The Peace Pact is very detailed and would include the establishment of a commission (EEBC) whose sole purpose is to determine the boundary between the two countries on the basis of the colonial boundaries and past treaties. In April 2002, the commission, after two years of thorough investigation and deliberation , has reached a verdict in which Badme, a city on the border which was the source of the conflict, was awarded to Eritrea. According to the Algiers's Agreement, such boundary ruling should be final and binding.
One indication that would support Eritrea's claim that the US administration has taken Ethiopia's side on the border issue was implicated by John Bolton, the former UN Ambassador to US, who revealed in his recent book that Dr. Frazer contacted him shortly before the UN Security Council was to convene on the matter. What transpired after that phone call was that US was openly supporting Ethiopia's stand for not accepting the border rulings "families will divide" and a call for more dialog. This is where US and Eritrea differ. Eritrea felt betrayed and rightfully so. The USA as one of several countries who signed the Algiers's Peace Pact has the legal obligation that the parties accept the rulings as agreed.
The international community, with the US influence, has kept silence to Eritrea's call to demand that Ethiopia fulfills its mandate, accept EEBCs decision fully and without precondition and let the healing process begin.
It's unfortunate that at a time when East African countries are consumed with violence, injustices and human rights abuses the US administration has a convoy in the region someone like Dr. Frazer who has neither the skills nor the credibility to tackle such enormous tasks.
Thus, it's high time that the US foreign policy in the area is revised and designed to deal with all the countries fairly and in an equal footings.