Jawar Mohammed: @Jawar_MohammedIsn't ironic that PIA who rejected federation as option for Eritrea and opted for outright independence now wants to deny even minimalist federated autonomy for Oromia and others nations?
Tsedale Lemma: @TsedaleLemmaSomeone tell PIA that Abiy Ahmed & co are not & will never be the only partners Eritrea is going to have to deal with to make a lasting peace. There are emerging political powers in Ethiopia who are not willing to gamble with the multinational federalism we have in place now.
Brother, it's not ironic. Eritrea's independence claim (not mere federation) was based on the principle of uti possidetis juris upheld in the OAU's 1964 Cairo Declaration, which called for Africa to accept all nations/borders as inherited under colonial rule.
Their argument was that allowing for new nation-states to emerge via self-determination (in a post-Westphalian world of nation-states) would inherently lead to countless claims for independence and disintegration of Africa (given the multinational character of African nations).
It is for this reason that President Isaias Afwerki supported Dr. John Garang's "One Sudan" vision for South Sudan, a reconciled Somali state and a reconciled Ethiopian state. Deciding on a federal or unitary state is the prerogative of the people of those nations based on reconciliation processes.
However, a federal state based on ethnicity (or clan) will very likely lead to the breakdown of a multinational state (like Ethiopia) because the ethnic state/identity would trump the federal one (e.g., "Oromo First," "Amhara First," "Tigray First", etc).
Ethnic nation-states would inevitably:
(1) contest borders,
(2) compete over federal resources and
(3) compete for federal power.
This is exactly what happened under TPLF. Why rehash a failed model? One can say "we'll do it more justly than TPLF" but—honestly—is that really true?
Eritreans share a deep kinship with Oromos, Somalis and other victims of imperialism. Eritrea under President Isaias's leadership has given consistent support to Oromo resistance, yet you've repeatedly attacked President Isaias since 2009. Can you not acknowledge the good, in addition to the presumed bad?
You've disagreed with OLF while they were supposedly held "hostage" in Asmara, yet you still respected them and their contributions. Can you not do the same, for Eritrea and Eritrean leadership? Also remember: Tesfay Gebreab and Dr. Asmarom Legesse, support Eritrea's leaders. Why?
In the end, Eritreans support our Oromo cousins in whatever political formation they chose. But, Eritreans won't be fake and tell you we think everything is ok. Even if we're wrong (including PIA), is it not better to say what we believe is right rather than to say what's popular?
And for Eritrea to "shut up" and "stay silent" is not an option, because the entire Horn now lives with the consequences of ethnic federalism (as we saw w/TPLF's "border war" on Eritrea). In the free market of ideas, show that your ideas are better than PIA's. We're listening!
Some consideration must be given, to combating neoliberalism and imperialism. The Horn has been exploited and weakened, by foreign powers. Ethnic federalism—instead of fighting ruling classes and imperialism—divides people of the Horn. An anti-imperial Horn, needs strong unified states!
May the Oromo peoples prevail over all challenges in front of them
♂️♀️
(Red Sea Fisher: @RedSeaFisher)