The Ethiopian Ambassador to the US spoke to Russia’s Sputnik about Washington’s call for American citizens to evacuate from that Horn of Africa country. According to His Excellency Fitsum Arega:
“Addis Ababa is safe and secure as always. There is no need for alarm. People are living their normal lives. It makes no sense to urge ‘evacuations.’ What we have seen in other part of the world with people clambering to hold onto planes to make an escape recently is far from occurring in Ethiopia…Commercial plane seats are always available but no one is rushing to leave, but the US government trying to convince by every means possible including paying for their airfare but no takers…The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has made a presentation to the diplomatic community on the declaration of the state of emergency and provided full assurances that they will be accorded full diplomatic protection. It is regrettable that some should try to weaponize fear and alarm as a pressure strategy in aid of the TPLF. But the country will return to normalcy in the foreseeable future.”
His comments are extremely important because they reveal another one of the many means through which the US is waging its Hybrid War on Ethiopia.
As can be seen, the situation in the Ethiopian capital doesn’t necessitate any evacuations. Calling for such is an information warfare provocation invented to provoke panic in order to advance the TPLF’s agenda of scaring that city’s population. This fearmongering is indeed being weaponized exactly as H.E. Arega noted. It importantly comes on the heels of Addis’ residents rallying in support of their country’s unity. Observers can therefore regard it as an asymmetrical response, albeit one that isn’t likely to succeed. Even so, the US isn’t predicted to scale back its pressure campaign as suggested by Commanding General of the Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa Major General William L. Zana telling the BBC that his country’s forces in neighboring Djibouti are “here to respond to crisis”. This ominous statement came shortly after the State Department set up a task force on Ethiopia.
Some additional background information provides more strategic context to the US’ efforts to provoke panic in the Ethiopian capital through its latest fearmongering.
US Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa Jeffrey Feltman issued a series of implied threats against Ethiopia at the start of the month while giving an hour-long speech about American policy towards that country. Congress is also considering the bipartisan “Ethiopian Peace and Democracy Promotion Act of 2021” that will sanction its target’s officials and foreign arms partners as well as pressure international financial institutions to cut off their cooperation with Ethiopia. Nevertheless, the Ethiopian government and the people that it represents after sweeping into power following this summer’s landslide victory aren’t wavering in their resolve to continue fighting the terrorist-designated TPLF and its allies. The unity of purpose between the governed and their government when it comes to preserving their civilization-state’s unity has resulted in the US thus far failing to coerce unilateral concessions from Addis.
In such a situation, it’s therefore expected that the US will ramp up its psychological warfare operations against the Ethiopian people in a desperate attempt to divide them from their government.
Addis’ residents know better than anyone in the world that the situation in and around the capital is safe. This means that they aren’t the direct targets of the US’ latest information provocations. What Washington hopes to do is prompt the mass exodus of foreigners – ideally, from their perspective, Westerners – in order for its Mainstream Media proxies to then have the pretext for spinning the narrative that “everything is deteriorating” and “fear is gripping the capital”. The purpose in doing so is to then pressure foreign businesses to curtail or even outright suspend their operations in the entire country. It’s at that point where the Ethiopian people might then become more directly affected if this leads to the loss of their income and/or jobs. The eventual result that the US is aiming for is to artificially manufacture anti-government sentiment in the capital in order to weaken the cause of national unity.
Provoking panic among foreigners in Addis is therefore the US’ primary Hybrid War means at the moment towards advancing the end of the TPLF returning to power even if only in part.