LEARNING FROM KENYA AND ETHOPIA UPHEAVAL

By : Toni Ervianto

Three suspected al-Shabab militants have been killed after they attacked a police camp in Kenya’s eastern County of Garissa, close to the border with Somalia. Other fighters were repulsed by security officers, a statement said. At least eight Kenyan police officers were killed in an al-Shabab bomb attack last week in north-eastern Wajir County. The militants have been trying to overthrow the Somali government.

The al-Qaeda-linked group has carried out attacks and kidnappings in Kenya, vowing retribution for the country’s involvement with Amisom – a 20,000-strong African Union force helping to support the government in Somalia.

The Friday night attack happened in Yumbis Border Patrol unit camp in Fafi sub-county, but security officers did not suffer any casualties. The militants damaged a mobile phone mast, cutting off communication in the area, local newspaper The Star reports. A team of security forces was pursuing the surviving assailants, police said.

Meanwhile in Ethopia, the chief of staff of the Ethiopian army, Gen Seare Mekonnen, has been shot dead by his own bodyguard in the capital, Addis Ababa. He and another officer died trying to prevent a coup attempt against the administration in Ethiopia’s northern Amhara region, PM Abiy Ahmed said. In Amhara itself, regional governor Ambachew Mekonnen was killed along with an adviser. The government says the situation is under control after arrests were made. The prime minister has gone on TV to urge Ethiopians to unite in the face of “evil” forces set on dividing the country.

Gen Seare was killed on Saturday evening at his residence along with another general, Gezai Abera, by the bodyguard who is now in custody, the prime minister’s press office says.

The government says it has reason to think the attack was linked to the assassination of the governor of Amhara a few hours earlier in the region’s capital, Bahir Dar. Mr Ambachew was killed at a meeting in his office along with his senior adviser, Ezez Wasie, while the region’s attorney general was wounded. Lake Ayalew has now been appointed as the region’s acting governor. The prime minister’s office accused Amhara’s regional security chief, Brig-Gen Asaminew Tsige, of plotting the coup attempt. It is unclear whether he has been arrested.

Ethnic violence has hit Amhara and other parts of Ethiopia in recent years. Since his election last year, Mr Abiy has moved to end political repression by releasing political prisoners, removing bans on political parties and prosecuting officials accused of human rights abuses.

Africa’s oldest independent country, Ethiopia is also the continent’s second most populous (after Nigeria), with 102.5 million inhabitants from more than 80 different ethnic groups. Ethopia’s major ethnic groups are Oromo (34%), Amhara (27%), Somali (6,2%), Tigrayan (6%), Sidama (4%), Gurage (2%), Wolayta (2,3%) and other ethnics (16,3%). A transfer hub for long-haul air travel, it has one of the fastest-growing economies in the world, but a vast number of young Ethiopians are without work.

The homeland of the Amhara ethnic group is the country’s second most populous region and has given Ethiopia its state language, Amharic. Violence between the Amhara and Gumuz ethnic groups left dozens of people dead last month in Amhara and its neighbouring region, Benishangul Gumuz. Ethnic violence, typically sparked by land disputes, has displaced nearly three million people across Ethiopia. Another issue the prime minister is having to grapple with is unrest within the military.

Al-Shabab militants has still strong enemies for several countries in Africa, because al-Qaeda linked terror groups will be developed their networking in Africa especially in un-stable government in Africa such as Kenya, Sudan, Somalia and Ethopia. Several factors could be triggered rebellion or upheaval such as ethnic conflicts, un-stable security and economic situation and an internal military conflicts effect.

In Kenya, al-Qaeda linked terror groups will always attacks government especially police facilities to overthrow the government and replacing it with “Caliph government” will be created by al-Qaeda linked in Africa continent. However, cell terror threat has still to be main political, security and economic hurdle in Africa especially in Kenya.

In Ethopia, Gen Seare was killed on Saturday evening at his residence along with another general, Gezai Abera, by the bodyguard who is now in custody has reflected an internal Ethopian’s military conflicts. Those conflicts have been used an ethnic conflicts which have been fulfilling in Ethopia, especially in Amhara province, there are “undercovered conflicts seeds” between Amhara ethnic and others ethnic especially with Oromo ethnics.

We can take strategic lesson from Kenya and Ethopia’s upheaval are an internal security forces conflicts, an ethnic conflicts, unstable political, security and economic situation must be avoided because its could be used by foreign powers, compradore’s supporters and cell terror groups made uncertainty situations and launching their deadly attacks.

*) The writer had earned his master degree at the University of Indonesia (UI). Previously, he got bachelor degree at Social and Politic Faculty at Jember University (Unej) in Jember,a East Java.